Alive
by mysticXdrops
Summary: The Yamanaka clan has been ruling the Crystal country for a while now. They have been in a couple of wars with another country. But in one of the wars, some thing terrible happens. ShikaIno and a little ShikaTema in the beginning
1. Crystal Kingdom

Hey, me again! Well, this is my new story, i hope you like it. I don't know how long this story is gonna be, but who cares. I'm just gonna go with the flow~

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: i dont own naruto**

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><p>The Crystal Country, a small country in between the Snow Country and Lightning Country. Ruled by King Inoichi Yamanaka and his family; the Yamanaka clan had been ruling this land for over fifteen year; living in a castle surrounded by a high wall and guards. Inoichi and his wife, Miyuki, first had a son named Deidara. Three years later, they had a beautiful daughter named Ino. The royal family has a strong bond with the kingdom of Konoha and the royal family there. Currently, the Nara clan has leadership over the Fire country. Sometime Queen Yoshino and Miyuki would set-up a play date for their children when they were young. Little Shikamaru and Ino would go and explore the castle. Well, Ino would; she would have to convince Shikamaru to play with her. When Deidara was six, and Ino three, a war broke out between them and the Hot Springs country. If it wasn't the help from the kingdom of Konoha, their land would have been destroyed.<p>

_War between the Crystal and Hot spring Country_

_It was dark outside and everyone was asleep, but quickly woke up when they heard the sirens go off. A woman with long blonde hair ran down the hallways with her son beside her. She opened her daughter's door to wake her up, "Ino! Wake up! We have to go!"_

_Ino sat up and rubbed her eyes, "What's happening?" she asked confused. Little did she know that enemies were invading their village. _

"_Come on Ino, there's no time to asking questions." Miyuki picked up her daughter and ran the front doors. Outside was a carriage waiting outside. The carriage took Miyuki and her children to a secret place, away from danger. Eventually, after waiting for months, they could come back. When they got to the village, buildings and houses were destroyed. It took months to get the village back to its normal state._

But nine years later, the two countries were back to fighting but this time, its worse. The hot springs ninja surprise attacked the castle and kidnapped the princess. Her parents tried all they could to get their only daughter back, but all failed. They never gave up and still keep on trying to get their daughter back_._

_Flashback_

_Fire, blood, and screams filled the castle. Some parts of the castle were on fire. Ice and Hot spring ninja were getting killed. The guards were doing their best to fend of the enemies. Some enemies slipped by the guards and went deep inside the castle. The Hot Springs ninja busted every door down, killing whoever was in that room. But, when they knocked down the door and looked at whoever was in it, they found the young princess; in a corner quivering from the entire event that has taken place. Her father was with the general, trying to get enemies out their castle and village and her mother tried to get Ino, but she was told that the guards would get her._

"_W-who are you?" she demanded with a knife in her hands._

_The four ninjas surrounded the twelve year old princess, "Oh, we're here to take you to a better place." One of the ninjas tried to grab her, but she quickly ran the knife over his cheek._

"_Ha, you're gonna need to do more than that to stop us." He wiped the blood off his cheek and swiftly grabbed the wrist with the knife and twisted it. She immediately dropped the weapon. He then tied her up, lifted her, and tossed her in a bag. She kicked, punched, tossed and turned but nothing seemed to work. _

"_Get him! He has Princess Ino!" a guard shouted from down the hallway as he and other ran towards them. Two hot spring ninja escaped and the other two stayed and fought with the guards and ice ninja._

**Five years later, present day**

Its been five years since Inoichi and Miyuki had their daughter stolen from them. Seeing that every plan they thought of failed, they asked for help from the Fire country. Agreeing to help, they sent over their son and highly skilled ninja.

"So tonight, you all will go to the Hot Springs country. Your mission is to bring her home. Kill any ninja if you have to. Shikamaru, you're the leader. You're all dismissed." Inoichi left the meeting room.

"How troublesome." The seventeen year old muttered under his breath. "Okay guys, get ready for tonight. We'll meet at the main village gates at eight." He also left the room. With his hand in his pockets, he went to the room he was temporarily staying in. He checked his bag to make sure he had everything he needed. Suddenly, he started thinking about his friend he hasn't seen in a while. Memories flooded his head, memories from when they were younger to the day he found out she was abducted.

**Flashback: Ten years ago**

"_Come on Shikamaru! Hurray up!" she shouted ahead of him as they climbed up the treacherous staircase. There were so many in the huge castle. _

"_Why do I have to come with you?" he protested. He much rather spend his days taking naps than go out on adventures with a girl he thought was obnoxious. _

"_You are so lazy. Do you do anything else than take naps?" she was tired of his attitude. "Play shougi." He answered with ease. Ino simply sweat dropped, "You're such a pain in the butt, just stop complaining and hurry up!" and they continued to ascend up the stairs. _

"She was always loud…" he thought to himself as he laid on the bed he was given.

**Five years ago**

_Ino and Shikamaru were in a field behind the castle. Shikamaru was lying down as Ino just sat and picked flowers. Neither one of them said a word. _

"_Shikamaru…" She examined a small yellow flower._

"_Yeah?" He didn't bother to open his eyes._

"_I'm bored." She stated bluntly. All they were doing was sitting in a field, doing nothing. Shikamaru may have found it relaxing, but Ino couldn't take it any longer. _

"_Well, what do you want to do?" He didn't what to do anything other than watching clouds drift by. _

_Ino sighed, "Something fun." She picked off the last petal of a flower and tossed the stem._

"_Well go do something fun."_

"_You're no fun." She just sat there, looking at the vast field until she came up with an idea. She decided to do it when he fell asleep because knowing him, he would eventually. After a while off just sitting there, he was asleep. Ino waved her hands in front of his face to make sure._

"_Good," She said in a quiet tone. She got up and picked up as many flowers as she could. She sat back down and stuck the flowers in his hair. "Well it looks like your laziness is good for something." She said quietly and giggled. Then she heard his mother telling them to come in. She threw the remaining flowers away and shook her friend to wake him up._

"_What do you want?" He turned on his side with his back facing her, wanting to sleep more._

"_Your mom said we have to go inside." The sun was setting and turned the sky shades of orange and red._

_He groaned, "Fine, troublesome woman." He said as he rubbed his eye. Ino giggled as they started walking._

"_What are you laughing at?" he asked confused to why she was._

"_Oh, nothing." She smiled at him innocently. It wasn't till his mother said something that he noticed the flowers in his hair._

"And troublesome…" he sighed and got some rest before had to go.

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><p>I know...a lot of flashbacks! I'm sorry. i just wanted to get all the background information out now. The other chapters will me more interesting.<p>

Please review! i need to know whatcha guys think & if I should continue so please do! Thanks! ^_^


	2. Hot Springs Kingdom

Hey guys! im back! sorry for the long, long wait, i was stuggling in school but its okay now ^_^ So...TaDa! here's the next chapter! i might put up the next chapter this weekend if i have time.

**Disclaimer: i do NOT own Naruto(sadly) **Enjoy~!

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><p><strong><span>Character profile<span>: **(You'll see them in this chapter)

Takeshi

Age: 18  
>Description: Straight black hair that goes to the chin with black eyes<br>Personality: Mature, Smart, Hard-working  
>Has been friends with Ryo since childhood.<p>

Ryo:

Age: 17  
>Description: kinda messy brown hair with brown eyes<br>Personality: Easy-going, smart (when neccessary), playful  
>Has been friends with Takeshi since childhood.<p>

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><p>"Okay, is that everyone?" Shikamaru didn't want to leave anyone behind.<p>

"Yes, this is everyone." A male in the group shouted out.

"Good, then let's head out."

Within a day and a half, they made it to the Land of the Hot Springs.

"Okay, this is the plan," They were close to the entrance gates, "We're going to find an inn and get some information." Shikamaru told them before they entered. Well, they really didn't enter through the main gates instead; they avoided the guards at the gate and just went over it. They made sure that no one was around them or on the other side. The security here wasn't the best. They all eventually made it to the village's inn, changed into some regular clothes that Inoichi gave them, and then went out to get some information about the captured princess. After talking to a few people Shikamaru decided to go to a dango shop. He sat at the table and waited for a waitress to bring him some dangos.

"Here you go, sir." She placed them gently on the table along with tea.

"Thank you. Umm, excuse, before you leave why is that banner torn up?" He asked her curiously. He knew it was the kingdom's banner, he just didn't understand why it was in such a bad condition.

"Oh, are you new here?"

"Ha, how could you tell?" he asked curious.

"Well, if you were from here, you would have known why, but if you want to know…" she placed her tray on the table and sat beside him, "Lately, there has been some rebels. They been protesting and setting parts of the kingdom on fire. They don't like how the king is ruling the kingdom, so that's why the banner is like that." The mid-aged woman informed him with a quiet tone.

"Wow, I never knew that." He said as he looked at her.

"Yup, well now you know! I should warn you, try not to stick out, fit in with the crowd. The royal guards are really strict here. The littlest things will get you in jail or killed." She stood up from the seat.

"Alright, thanks." He watched her walk away, "how troublesome." He ate his food and went to walk around the kingdom. Everyone seemed to be busy doing their own things but then he noticed a large crowed. They seemed to be looking at something. He went up to them to see what was going on.

"PLEASE LET HIM GO!" A lady screamed out and cried on the ground as her son had a blade pointed to his throat.

"This boy here is a rebel! I heard him plotting to kill the king." A male royal guard shouted to the mother. His silver hair was pulled back into a long, thin ponytail that ran down his back. Judging by the look of his badge on his black and blue uniform, he looked like the head guard. His golden-colored eyes pierced fear into the young teenager.

"He wasn't! I swear he wasn't!" the mother shouted in between her sobs. "Just please….let him go!"

The teenager didn't look any older than fourteen. He looked so scared that he could have a heart-attack at any moment. He just sat there on the ground, with a sword directed at his throat.

"I wasn't talking about the king!" he tried to convince the guard.

"Quiet! I don't want to hear your nonsense. Guys…take him away." The head guard commanded the other royal guards behind him. Just as the guards got closer to the teenager, he took off running. He only ran a few feet until he was shot by two arrows in the back.

"NOOOOO!" she ran to now dead son and held him tightly. "How could you?" She yelled at the silver-haired guard. A woman with long black hair jumped off from a roof with a bow in her hand. She wore the same uniform as the other guards.

"Really…you should have just killed him right there and now." She glared at the head guard.

"Ha, that would be no fun at all." He responded as he put away his sword.

"Oh, grow up already." She glared at him with her crimson eyes. She looked at the women sobbing on the ground and sighed. "I'll be in the castle if anyone needs me." She then waked away from the scene.

"_Wow, she wasn't kidding when she said the littlest things will get you killed. Just great…that means more trouble." _He thought and walked back to the inn where they were staying.

**At the inn**

"Did you guys get anything?" He asked his team members, Ryo and Takeshi, as he collapsed on bed.

"I didn't get anything new." Takeshi was sitting on a chair, looking through some scrolls.

"I think I got something you guys might want to hear." Ryo sat on the bed opposite from Shikamaru.

"Is it something good?" Takeshi asked to make sure he wasn't about to say something stupid.

"Of course so, I was with these girls and they told me that they saw the princess once with the king going into the carriage. They said that she looked pale and…dazed."

"How did you get this kind of information?" Shikamaru knew Ryo wasn't the smartest person but can be when he wanted to be.

"Well…I just saw them laughing by a building and I went towards them and started to talk."

Takeshi just rolled his eyes, "Of course." He then placed the scrolls back in the small box they were in. "I'm gonna check on the others." Ryo watched him as he left. Afterwards it was just silent. Ryo just sat there, looking around for a few minutes until he got decided to say something.

"So….how long have you known her for?" Ryo was curious since he was fairly new.

"What?" Shikamaru asked with his eyes closed.

"Princess Ino."

"Ohhh…I met her when I was three."

"Wow, what is she like?"

"Annoying, troublesome, loud….that's pretty much it."

"Aww, come on! I'm sure you're lying." He once saw a picture of her when she was younger, and he thought she didn't look like a person like that.

"Well i haven't seen her in a while but, i doubt she changed." He said with a smirk. As soon as he said that Takeshi came back into his and Shikamaru's temporary room.

"I came back with some info…"

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><p>"How is she?" a guy with a white lab coat asked.<p>

"She's doing fine. Everything seems to be normal." His assistant checked off some things on his clip board.

"Good…" the guy looked out from behind a window to see a seventeen year old girl sitting in a chair with two big wires in her back. She wore a white dress with her hair hanging freely around her. She seemed calm with her eyes closed.

"Sir….if you don't mind telling me…what are you planning to do with her?" the assistant looked up from his board.

"I'll tell you when she's ready." He then walked out the white room with his assistant following. He stopped walking until they were in front of two big brown doors.

"Come in…" a person said from behind the doors after the lead medic knocked on the doors.

"My Highness, I came to report about the experiment."

"Go on." The king didn't bother to look at them as he looked at some reports about the kingdom.

"She's in excellent condition, sir. She should be ready within a week." The medic told the king as he looked at the clip board his assistant gave him before they entered.

"Good. You better have her ready within a week."

"Yes My Highness."

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><p>I hope you guys liked it! Please review and tell me how it is! ^_^<p>

ja nee~!


	3. Rescue me

Hey guys, me once again. sorry i said i would have the next chapter out soon. i was seeing u know if this story would get more popular but...im going to continue and maybe this story will while i continue. ^_^

(Sorry btw if u see me use medic and then scientist...i decided to call them scientists instead of medics cuz they're are. i couldnt find the right word until now. :P)

**Disclaimer: i do not own Naruto**

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><p>It was silent in the large white room. The only noises heard were coming from the machines. The head scientist checked his clip board and checked some things off.<p>

"….I wonder if there is a way to speed up the process…" the skilled scientist thought to himself out loud.

"Well sir, there is I _that_ chip we could use." His assistant suggested.

"Did you fix the glitches in it?"

"Most of them, but there still might be some."

"…Get it ready. We'll see how good you did."

**Inn**

"Wow, really?" Ryo shouted out, surprised to what he just heard.

"I'm not kidding…"Takeshi through a scroll at Ryo and went back to the chair he was sitting in. Ryo quickly opened it and read it. Curious, Shikamaru finally sat up from lying down to look at the information. He quickly read it within a couple of minutes. His eyebrows furrowed.

"All of this is true?" he asked Takeshi.

"Of course, one of the guys got this information while spying. He said that he found a room with two scientists in it and a girl. He wrote down what he heard on the scroll."

"Then we need to move fast. We don't have much time left." Shikamaru informed the two of them. He rose from his bed and went to the room next door to asks questions to the ninja who got the information.

"….What do you thinking they're trying to do with her?" Ryo asked Takeshi while he stared at the floor, deep in thought.

"I don't know but whatever they're trying to do isn't good."

"We should make a plan."

"Wait…I think I have a map of the castle." Takeshi went through the small box looking for a specific scroll. "Found it." He tossed another scroll at his friend.

"Okay, where do you get all this stuff from?" He turned his to the side and yelled at him.

"Lord Inochi gave to me before we left. One of the Crystal ninja got it in one the wars they were in with this kingdom."

"No fair…." He looked at the map and all the rooms. "This must be the room he must be talking about." At the same time Shikamaru came back from the other room.

"Hey, Shikamaru, we got a map of the whole castle!" Ryo held the map in the air and shouted at him.

"Hmm…" Shikamaru shut the door and walked up to him to see the map. "With this we came go and get this troublesome girl sooner that I thought. I'll try and come with a plan tonight." He went back to his warm bed.

"Sweet, this mission is easier than I thought." Ryo got up and stretched his numb legs.

"Don't under estimate our enemies. You'll get yourself killed that way." Takeshi told the not-so-smart boy.

"Yeah, yeah I know mother. I'm tired. Let's go to bed." He yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm tired too." Shikamaru rolled on his side away from his team members.

"I'll see you guys in the morning." Takeshi left the room to go to his.

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><p>It took a couple of days to fix the chip and to get the glitches removed.<p>

"Sir, I have it done." The assistant held the chip in front of leader of the scientists.

"Good. Go put it in the computer, the one that controls the girl."

"Yes, sir." He went up to the correct computer and inserted the chip. Everything seemed to be going fine. The assistant saw something though that wasn't right. "Um, sir, can you come here for a moment?"

"What is it now?" he was getting irritated and walked up to the computer.

"Should we continue? I'm afraid that if we do, things won't go as planned." He didn't want to screw up and get blamed if the experiment goes wrong.

"Don't worry about it. Just keep on going." He then went back to the large window.

Without complaining, his assistant kept on going, ignore the little problem. Seeing how things were going, he figured that his partner was right. In a couple minutes though, he found out that he was wrong. The screen randomly started to turn different colors and froze.

"What the? The computer is acting up!" He shouted out to the leader. He tried the regain the computer's control but nothing seemed to work. The screen turned black. Fear and confusion was spread all over the young medic's face. He just sat there, speechless. But thankfully, the computer screen came back on. On it was a message: _Memories deleting 5%...7%...15%... _The percentage kept on going up rapidly within the minutes. "Why is it doing this?" He was now panicked.

The lead medic swiftly walked to him, "I swear, you are hopeless." He said under his breath. He read the message, "What did you do?" He yelled at his apprentice.

"I did what you told me what to do."

Angry, the head scientist pushed his assistant away in his rolling chair and tried to fix the problem. He did everything but nothing worked.

"_90%...93%...97%..." _the lead scientist punched every button there was on the large keyboard. Suddenly, a new message replaced the old one, "_Deleting memories stopped." _He was surprised but grateful that it stopped. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He then thought about the girl. His eyes shot open, "_Shit! Her memories!"_ he left the room they were in, ran a few feet down the hallway and down some stairs to the girl's door and busted through the door. He checked her status on the computer in the room. His face instantly fell. All the work they did on her was gone…well most of it. Almost all of her memories were gone.

"All the work we did….it's all gone now." He said to himself. His assistant shortly came in the room.

"What should we do now?"

"…..We have to tell the king of what just happened."

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><p>Parallel with the staircase, Shikamaru looked up them to see if someone was coming. Seeing that it was all clear he gave his team member a signal and a couple ninja went up the staircase silently. At the top there were some royal guards but were easily killed since they didn't noticed them. The security here really wasn't good. Shikamaru and the rest of his team caught up to them. They then split up into smaller teams and went in different directions. Shikamaru's team carefully snuck around the castle. They checked in every room to see if the missing blonde was in it. They kept on checking until she was found. Suddenly they heard yelling and screaming. Shikamaru figured that the other team was found then they noticed that some royal guards heading towards them with their weapons.<p>

"Stop right there!" one of the guards shouted to them. But of course they weren't going to listen to their orders. Shikamaru and his small team quickly took out the guards and started running again.

"Split up! You guys know where to meet up at!" Shikamaru yelled while running before they all went in their own paths.

Hours passed by and still no sigh of the blonde princess. Shikamaru's chakra is getting low and there were too many guards. Trying to conserve his chakra, he ran from the guards. The castle was big enough to get lost in and he was going to do that to the guards. After losing them, he went into a random room to rest for a bit and catch his breathe. When he entered the room, he saw someone, the missing princess of the Crystal country. He just stood there, observing her and the machine connected to her.

Men behind the large window looked at the young man and whispered among themselves. "Is that really him?" one of the medics asked the group. "I'm sure it is. He looks exactly like him. One of them finally decided to make sure.

Shikamaru was walking up to the sleeping girl until he heard a loud voice from the intercom. "Excuse me, but why are you here?"

He looked for a moment to see where it was coming from until he saw the men in the white lab coats above him, behind a large window.

Another man grabbed the microphone, "Aren't you the prince of the Fire Kingdom?"

"Does it matter if I am?" Shikamaru yelled at them as he looked at them.

The group of men talked among themselves for a minute until one of them said to the young prince, "Then what are you doing here sir?"

"_They must not know about us and our attack…"_ he thought since they asked that question. _"I should come up with something."_

"The King wanted me to bring the princess to him, right now." He said loudly and then walked to her.

"We aren't allowed to let you do that!" one the scientists quickly said before Shikamaru reached her but that didn't stop him.

"My name is Akihiro and I am the lead scientist here. The girl isn't ready yet." He tried to explain to him.

"He doesn't care he said he wants to see her now. Do you want to make him mad and disobey his orders?" he was now right beside her.

"We need to fix a problem."

"You can fix it when she gets back." Akihiro and Shikamaru stared at each other until.

"…"

"…"

Finally, Akihiro said, "…let me help you with the equipment." He then left the room and went to the one below him. He took off all the equipment attached to her and gave the girl to him. "Be careful with her. She is fragile."

"I will." He walked out the room with the girl in his arms. _"That was easier than I thought."_ Once he was outside, he started running for the nearest exit.

**Back in the Castle**

A couple of the royal guards came rushing in the room filled with scientists. They looked around the room and saw she wasn't there.

"Where is she?" one of the guards asked Akihiro.

"What do you mean? She with the king and the prince of the Fire Kingdom." He started to worry that she wasn't really there.

"She isn't with him. He must have taken her somewhere!" They all were starting to panic. "Why did you let him take her!"

"He said he was going to take her to the king because he wanted to see her!" he was beginning to feel regretful.

"Great…just what we need."

"What happened?"

"Don't you know? Some Fire ninja invaded the castle!" all the scientists talked to each other. None of them knew since the Fire ninja didn't come to their side of the castle. The guard said something before Akihiro could, "it doesn't matter now. When need to the king and repair the castle as soon as possible. I feel as if another war might break out." That was the last thing he said before the guards left. Akihiro was left standing speechless. His life was great and in one moment, all of it was gone.

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><p>Chapter 3: Done! this chapter was a bit longer than my normal chapters. i hope u enjoyed it! ^_^ Please R&amp;R!<p> 


	4. Reunited

Ohayou, Konichiwa, Konbanwa! (^O^) I'm back with another chapter! i really enjoy writing this story, its fun! well i hope you guys enjoys this as much as i do!

If you someone doesnt know *ne-san= older brother, *Baka=stupid, idiot, *kaa-san=mother, *tou-san=father

**Disclaimer: i do Not own Naruto**

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><p>Shikamaru ran with Ino in his arms until he reached their meeting spot. Their meeting spot was a small tea shop outside the kingdoms gates. They have everything they needed: their scrolls, clothes, food, weapons, etc. When he arrived, there were some of his team members but not all. After waiting a few minutes, everyone was present. Everyone then ran into the forest, onto braches, and made their way back to the Crystal village.<p>

Hours passed and they were kind of close, but seeing that the sun was setting, Shikamaru decided that they would make camp where they were. Everyone helped with putting up the tents and with starting a fire. Shikamaru gently placed Ino in his tent.

"I'll watch first," Shikamaru offered. Everyone else went inside their tenets and got some sleep before it was their turn. Time started to pass by and Shikamaru was getting a little sleepy. Dozing off, he didn't realize that there was someone behind him. The person placed their hand on his shoulder. His eyes snapped open and he quickly pulled out a kunai and aimed it at the enemy. We lowered his defense once he saw who it was. Ino. She looked surprised and scared.

"Shikamaru…" she whispered but he could still hear her.

He put away his kunai, "Sorry, I thought you were one the ninja from the Hot Spring Kingdom. You should go back to bed."

"…I can't, I had a bad dream." She walked to him and sat by the fire. Shikamaru sat beside her, watching the flames take different forms.

"So, how have you been?" she looked at him as he watched the fire.

Shikamaru sighed and thought about it, "Fine, I guess. How are you feeling?"

She turned her head back to the flames, "Better. Better than I did before you came. Thanks for coming to get me." She turned her head only to be greeted by dark brown eyes.

"No problem…" it was quiet for a few minutes until she broke the silence.

"You grew."

"Hm?"

"Last time I saw you…you were twelve. Now we're seventeen. It's been a while." She showed him a sweet little smile.

"Yeah, its been five years since you were kidnapped."

"That day…was horrible. I still remember it."

"Well tomorrow we'll bring you home and you'll get to see your parents and brother again."

Ino remained silent. She seemed different. Different from the little girl he grew up with. For some reason, he wanted that little girl back. He missed the loud, obnoxious Ino. This one seemed more quiet and reserved but he couldn't blame her. Who knows what they done to her.

"_Maybe after a few weeks she'll be back to her normal self."_

Ino stood up and brush off the dirt on her dress, "I'm going to try to go to sleep."

"Oh, okay. I'll be there soon." He watched her disappear as she went inside the tent. It wasn't long till Shikamaru's shift was over. Once it was he went straight to his tent. He was tired and wanted to sleep for a while. He looked at the blonde princess to see if she was asleep and found tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Ino…" he gently wiped away her tears.

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><p>"Your Majesty, <em>she's <em>here." A royal guard came into the royal family's living room.

"We must get ready then!" Miyuki quick rose from here chair and told her husband.

"Is she really?" Everyone in the room turned around to see a pink-haired maid. Her name is Sakura Haruno, a maid of the royal family. She was picked up by Ino's family when visited the Naras in the Fire Kingdom. She was sitting on the side of the road crying. Sakura looked no older than six. Her parents were apparently killed on a mission and ran away from home. The Yamanaka family kindly took her in and raised her as if she was a daughter. She was a personal servant to Ino Yamanaka until she was taken away. Since then, she's been a maid, waiting for her mistress to return.

"She is on her way here." The guard informed her.

"That's great!" she jumped around happy. "I'll go tell Deidara ne-chan!" she quickly ran down the hallway to the prince's room.

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><p>A group of ninjas stood in front of a white enormous castle. Ino's spine shivered as she looked up to see the entire castle. She remembered all the bad and good memories she had with this castle.<p>

"Come on, their waiting." Shikamaru stood in front of her, blocking her view.

"O-okay," she followed him as they entered through the tall doors.

"Ino-sama, welcome back!" a maid with short black hair greeted her. Her name is Shizune, a personal maid for the king and queen.

"Ohh…thank you." Shikamaru could tell she was confused and lost but he just ignored it.

"I'll take you to your parents, follow me." After doing up some stairs and down hallways, they stood outside _their_ room. Ino gulped before Shizune opened the door.

"Well? What are you standing there for? Hurry, they're waiting for you!" she pushed Ino in the room and slowly closed the door as she mouthed good luck to her before it was completely closed.

"Come on, let's go wait downstairs." She told Shikamaru as she walked down the hallway. Silently, he did as she said.

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><p>Ino looked around the spacious room.<p>

"_Nothing's changed…" _she smiled as she thought to herself. Suddenly the door opened. Ino quickly turned around to see if it was her parents. It wasn't them, but her hear skipped a beat.

"What is it Sakura? H-hey! Stop with the pulling!" Deidara yelled at the pink-haired maid as she pulled him through the door.

"Look!" Sakura said as she pointed at Ino.

"Ni-san*." She whispered as she stared at him. His hair was longer, he was taller than before, and his voice was deeper.

Deidara looked forward as he heard someone call for him. "Ino…" they both just stood there looking at how each other changed. She was now seventeen and he was now twenty.

"Ni-san!" she ran up to her older brother that she missed so much and hugged. She started to cry once she felt him hug her back.

"Ino, you're really back!" He was happy that she was back and out of danger's hands. Sakura stood behind them watching the two siblings reunite. Deidara suddenly pulled her off him and held onto her shoulders.

"What's the matter?" she as confused as he stared at her.

"Are you hurt? Did they do something to you?" he looked at her arms, legs and such. He then turned her around to finish inspecting her.

Ino just laughed, "Don't worry baka!* I'm fine." She put his arms down. She soon latched her arms around her blonde brother.

"I missed you!" she shouted out loud.

"Haha, I missed you too." He hugged her again, "Have you seen mom or dad?" She unattached her arms and looked at him.

"Umm…no."

"Really? Let's go then, they probably didn't think you would get here so soon." He grabbed her hand as he led her to a room attached to the one they were in.

"Kaa-san*, tou-san*, look who I have."

Both parents looked to see their once missing daughter.

"Ino." Miyuki's eyes started to tear up.

* * *

><p>Chapter 4: Done! i hope you guys like it! ^_^<p>

R&R~ onegaishimasu!


	5. 覚えている？Remember?

Hey people! I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry...i'm horrible with updating but thanks for waiting~ I had to study for exams all last week so I had no time sooo...yeahhh~ The next story i'll be updating will be Missing Piece.  
><strong>Note<strong>: If_ italicized:_ _thoughts _

Thank you ShikaIno1 and everyone else for you nice comments! I appreciate it (*^_^*)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!**

Enjoy~!

* * *

><p>Miyuki ran up to her daughter she hasn't seen in five years.<p>

"Ino!" She repeated her name as she hugged her and cried. She nearly knocked Ino off her feet.

"How are you? Are you hurt? Are you tired?" she asked her as many questions as she possible could.

"Miyuki, I think you're suffocating her." She turned around to see her husband smiling. He took Ino from her clutches and gave her a hug.

"Welcome home princess." and kissed the top of her head. "We're all glad you're back."

"Thanks. I am too!" It was an awkward silence so Ino just looked around the room.

"What's the matter Ino? You don't seem happy?" Her mother was starting to get worried.

"Oh I am! Trust me, _that_ place was horrible."

"Did they do anything to you?" her father asked.

"No…not anything extreme. They just did some testing I think. I can't really remember."

"Well your safe now! Nobody will ever hurt you again!" Inoichi pulled her in a tight, suffocating hug.

"Hahaha thanks. Umm, you are my father, right?"

He pulled her away to see her face, "What do you mean? Of course I am!"

"Oh well I wanted to make sure. I mean, its obvious that you're my parents by the way you treat me but…"

"Ino, why are you talking like this?" Her mother was totally confused.

"I'm sorry but...I really don't know who you are…"

"You don't remember us?" Miyuki's eyes were tearing up again, but this time they weren't tears of happiness.

"Deidara!" Inochi called out for his son in the next room.

"What's the matter?" He stood under the door frame connecting the two rooms.

"Ino, do you remember Deidara?"

"Yeah, I remember ni-san. Why wouldn't I?"

"But not me or your mother?"

"Not really…sorry. I don't remember you two."

"Dad, what is she talking about?" Deidara didn't have a clue of what was going on at the moment.

"Ino, come with me. You're going to see a doctor." Inochi grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hall but then stopped.

"_Damnit, I forgot all about Shikamaru's team."_

"Deidara!"

"What now? What am I? Your slave?" Deidara complained as he quickly walked towards his father and sister.

"Be quiet and go thank Shikamaru's team."

Deidara let out a sigh, "Fine, I will." And walked the opposite way from them.

* * *

><p><strong>With Deidara<strong>

"I swear, if he calls my name one more time, I'm gonna lose it!" He muttered to himself as he walked down the grand staircase. Shikamaru and his team were waiting on the couch.

"Hey…"he started as he walked towards them and Shikamaru and the others stood up. "Thanks for bring her back. We really appreciate it." He bowed to the seventeen year.

"Oh, no problem." It felt like all this pressure was now off Shikamaru's shoulders. "Is she fine?"

"I don't know. I think something is wrong with her memory. I don't think she remembers okaa-san or otou-san. She seems to remember me though"

"Are you serious?" Shikamaru was taken back a little.

"Yeah, what about you?"

"She knows me. She didn't seem like she forgot me."

"I see. It looks like she doesn't remember her parents though. Otou-san is taking her to a doctor her now."

"Well, I hope she gets better. We should go now. It's a long way back home."

"I understand. Otou-san should be sending your reward to your parents. Thanks again."

* * *

><p><strong>With Ino and Inochi<strong>

Ino and Inochi got into a carriage and made their way to their doctor.

"Who are we going to see?" Ino asked, confused of what's happening.

"Her name is Tsunade. She is the best doctor in the country. She can practically cure and sickness a person has."

"Wow, she must good."

"She is. We should be there soon."

x~*x~*x~*x~*x~*x~*x

Inoichi quickly hopped out the carriage and knocked on her door.

"_Gosh, he really moves fast." _She thought to herself as she sweat dropped.

"Inochi, Come in." She moved out the way as he walked in. Ino quickly ran in behind her father. "Ino?" she was surprised to see her.

"Huh? Oh, hi." A small smile formed on her face. Ino sat on the couch with her father as Tsunade made some tea.

"I see you got Ino back?" Tsunade smiled as she gave them both a cup of tea and sat in a chair across from them.

"We're all very happy, but there is a problem."

Tsunade took a sip from her tea and set it down, "What's the matter?"

"She doesn't remember us, well…me or Miyuki."

"Hm. That's odd." She turned her attention towards Ino. "Do you remember anything?"

"Well, I remember some of the time in the Hot Spring Kingdom; I remember the Crystal country, Deidara and Shikamaru. That's pretty much it."

Tsunade sat there, trying to think of what to do. How to solve this problem. But, how can you give someone's memories back? Physically, its impossible.

"Maybe…you could surround her with people she usually with. Or have her do stuff she usually do, like treating the plants in the garden. Maybe that way, her memories will come back to her. I'm sorry that I'm not as helpful, but there is nothing much we can do with her mind. It's all up to her really." She tried to explain to them the best way she could.

"I was afraid that you might say that, but I understand. Do you know how long it could take?"

"It could take a few days, months, or years. It's possible that she might not ever get her memories back at all."

"Okay, well I'll do what you say, and then hopefully she'll come back to us."

"Other than that, is she alright?"

"That seems like the only problem. If only I weren't so weak…then maybe she wouldn't of been caught." Inochi looked at the tea he had securely in his hands.

"It wasn't your fault. There were many of them and only one of you. You can only do so much. Let's just be happy that she's here now."

"Yeah, you're right." He turned his head to see his beautiful daughter and she showed him a sweet smile. "Well we better go now." He set his tea down and stood up as well as Ino.

"I'm sorry. I hope you get your memories back, Ino." she gave her a hug and they left. The whole ride back, Inochi didn't say a word. All he did was look out the window and watch the scenery pass them. Ino didn't really know how to cheer him up. She barely knew him, so she just looked out the window like him.

x~*x~*x~*x~*x~*

"Welcome home, Inochi-sama, Ino-sama." Sakura welcomed them, happy.

Inochi went upstairs and disappeared. Ino, clueless, decided to look for her brother.

She knocked on his door, "I'm coming in." When she came in, she didn't see him. "Deidara?" she shut the door behind her. When she looked more closely though she saw that he was on the balcony.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she walked beside him to enjoy the view. The sun was setting, painting the sky shades of orange and red together.

"Oh, nothing really. You okay?"

Ino laughed a little, "I've been getting that question all day today. I'm just a little tired. All this craziness is wearing me out." She let out a sigh.

"Ha, of course. Everyone is worried about you." He looked at his sister's face. She was looking like a young lady now than when the last time he saw her. That didn't surprise him though, being seventeen, what do you expect?

"I know. I just wish this never happened to me. I just want a normal life."

Deidara laughed at her, "I doubt you could! You are a princess, you know?"

Ino punched his shoulder, "Shut up, I know that!"

"Well it looks like you're feeling better."

"A little, I just have to get used to things. Maybe one day, my memories will come back to me. I can't just sit around and wait for them to come back, you know? I'll just have to become friends with everyone again."

"Yeah, but it won't be the same."

"I know, but what else can I do? I rather know them than not at all!"

"True."

"Baka." She stood up straight and stretched her back, "Well I'm going to take a bath and go to bed. Night."

"Okay, night." He still stood there looking at the sky after she left. _"Maybe one day you'll remember everything." _

"Must be hard for her." He muttered to himself as he left the balcony.

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><p>Chapter 5: Done! Sorry that there is barley any ShikaIno in this chapter or in the story yet...its coming!<p>

Are these chapters long enough for you guys? Or are these chapters too short? I'm just curious...let me know if you think they are.

Please review~!


	6. Here she comes!

Nice to see you guys again! Sorry, I wrote this like last weekend but never got the chance to put it up XP so much work!  
>But here it is!~ Enjoy<p>

Author's note: if you didnt know...Italics=thoughts

**Disclaimer: i do NOT own Naruto**

* * *

><p><strong>Character profile:<strong>

**Akihiro: **Was once lead scientist but since princess Ino's departure has denounced to the lowest rankings. Now, all he seeks is revenge.

* * *

><p>Inochi did everything he could help Ino regain her old memories back. He took Tsunade's advice and surrounded his daughter with old friends and hobbies. He also introduced Ino to everyone in the castle again. Everyone was helpful and helped Ino whenever she needed assistance. Even though, as weeks passed by, no progress was seen.<p>

"So you pretty do what I say?" Ino asked her pink-haired servant and friend.

"Yup! I'll always be here whenever you need me or help!" Sakura replied as she brushed Ino's long, silky blonde hair.

"Wow, so how long have you been working for my family?" Ino asked as she watched her servant brush her hair through the mirror.

"Ever since I was six…" she faded away from reality as she thought of her parents.

Looking up at her, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"Oh!" Sakura realized that she dozed off for a little bit, "I'm sorry. It's okay." She continued where she left off.

"My parents died on a mission. It was because of the war. My parents and a lot of other ninja died that day. I remember me being in the hospital to visit my parents with my aunt. We were in the waiting room and the doctor came in saying that they didn't survive. The damage was too much for them to withstand. Next thing you know, I was running out the hospital. I didn't want to believe the doctor. I just kept on running….and running. It was pouring that day too. I soon got tired and just sat on the side of the road, crying. That's when you and your family came. They saw me and took me in. I'm very grateful that they did."

"But what about your family? Do they know what happened to you?"

"Yeah, Inochi-sama found out that I was living with my aunt and we worked it out. She let me stay here with you. She thought that your family would take better care of me. That's basically my life story."

"Wow, sounds like a rough beginning. But you turned out fine."

She smiled at her once missing mistress, "Thanks. I hope we can become friends again."

"Definitely! How close were we?" She asked curious of how things were before her memories went missing.

"We were like sisters…" she began and Ino listen to every word in silence.

* * *

><p>Inochi and his wife, Miyuki were enjoying some tea in their family room upstairs.<p>

"What are we going to do?" Inochi asked his wife as he placed his cup on the table.

All Miyuki did was sigh, "…I don't know. We have to be patient. We can't do much other than make her do things she used to do."

Silence filled the room. Both parents were deep in thought.

"…I was thinking. We should send her to the Nara's. Maybe she'll remember something there."

"You're right. Maybe she will. We'll just let her stay there for a little bit and see if she gets any better."

"Would you like some more tea, your majesty?" Shizune butted in their conversation.

"Yes. Can you help Ino pack her clothes? She will be going to the Fire Kingdom tomorrow."

"Of course, your majesty." She poured the queen more tea and went to Ino's room.

Both of the adults were silent again, trying to enjoy their day.

* * *

><p>Ever since princess Ino was rescued by her friend and prince Shikamaru, Akihiro's lifestyle changed from being number one to now rock bottom. He was tortured after the King heard that she wasn't under their control anymore. All the work he was handed was difficult and time-consuming.<p>

"Get out of my face. I don't want to see you in here until you get _her_ back." The King told him with a dark, stern voice. That was the last thing the King told him, and the last time he was in that room.

"_I knew I shouldn't have trusted him…"_ he now had a small room all by himself instead of the spacious lab room. He was denounced of his title of head scientist and was now in the lowest rankings.

"_They'll get what's coming to them…"_ he thought as he continued to clean the floor.

* * *

><p>"Are you excited?" Shizune, a servant for her parent, asked to the young princess. She and Sakura helped Ino pack her clothes into her suitcase, or rather her suitcases. Ino had to make sure she packed all of her cute clothes.<p>

"Of course! It's been a while since I saw Shikamaru. But I only remember a little bit of his parents, like bits and pieces."

"Well at least you remember prince Shikamaru. It would be a shame if you forgot him. You two have been together for a long time!" Sakura told her from the closet.

"But knowing him, he probably won't be happy when I get there. He'll call me 'troublesome'." She muttered some words as she violently forced her clothes into her suitcase.

"Haha…" Sakura sweat dropped, "I'm sure he'll be happy when you arrive."

"Yeah! Oh! Did you know that prince Shikamaru has a fiancé?" Shizune announced to Ino out of the blue. It took a minute or two for Ino to process the surprising news.

"…are you serious!" the whole castle almost heard Ino's voice.

"Of course!" Shizune answered her question. "He is almost fit to rule the throne. All he is missing is a wife."

"But…I can't really imagine Shika getting married…he doesn't seem like the person to get married."

"Now why would you say that? Prince Shikamaru is rather handsome and smart. I'm sure he would make a good husband and king." Shizune told her as she closed her last suitcase.

Ino's face was tinted a light pink, "I never said he wouldn't…I just said I can't see it happening."

"Haha, am I sensing some jealousy?" Sakura teased her as she stood beside Shizune.

"Ha! Yeah right. I haven't seen him in a while if you forgot! How can I be jealous?"

"It was just a question. You don't have to get so defensive." Sakura laughed at Ino, whose face a slightly darker color of pink. Well, you should go to bed. We got a long trip ahead of us." Sakura informed her but it only confused the blonde princess.

"What do you mean 'we'?"

"I'm coming with you."

"Really! What about Shizune?"

"Oh, I will be staying here with your parents. They thought that you might need a friend while you were away."

"Oh, okay, fine with me.

"Good. Come on Sakura, she needs her rest. Good night princess."

"Good night!" And soon the two maids were gone and only she was left.

"_Getting married, huh. Wonder what kind of person she is…I'll do that in the morning."_ Ino changed on her pajamas and quickly fell asleep once her head met the soft, purple pillow.

**Meahwhile outside her window**

_"I got you know. i won't let you escape...you can't run form us."_

* * *

><p>Chapter 6: Done!<p>

I think this chapter was...okay. I think i could of done better :P But thats my opinion.  
>Tell me what you guys think about this chapter!<p>

Thank you for reading and review~ (^^)


	7. A rocky trip!

Hey~~ surprised i put up a new chapter so quickly? hahaha i dont blame you :P  
>But nonetheless, i hope you like this chapter! Enjoy~<p>

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Character profile<span>: **(You'll see them in this chapter)

Takeshi:

Age: 18  
>Description: Straight black hair that goes to the chin with black eyes<br>Personality: Mature, Smart, Hard-working. Friends with Shikamaru and has been friends with Ryo since childhood.

Ryo:

Age: 17  
>Description: kinda messy brown hair with brown eyes<br>Personality: Easy-going, smart (when neccessary), playful. Friends with Shikamaru has been friends with Takeshi since childhood.

* * *

><p>"Okay, so is that everything?" Shizune asked Ino and Sakura in front of the carriage.<p>

"Yup! We have everything." Sakura checked the luggage in their carriage.

"Have a good time! And behave! They're good people and they'll take care of you while you're there." Miyuki hugged Ino and kissed her cheek.

"Thank, I will." She then gave her father also a hug. "Even though I don't remember you guys, I'll miss you both."

Inoichi gave out a small chuckle, "Just hurry up and remember your memories so you can come back home."

"Haha, I'll try."

There was one person left to hug before she left to the Nara's and that was her older brother, Deidara.

"So, you're gonna miss me, huh?" she asked her brother with a smirk plastered on her face.

He just simply rolled his eyes, "Sure, I think I'm going to cry." His tone was full of sarcasm.

"You're so mean!" and punched his shoulder.

"I was just kidding! I'll miss you…a little."

"You better!" She gave her brother a big hug and entered the royal carriage. As the horse started to move, she and Sakura waved to her family until they weren't visible.

"How long is it going to take until we get there?" Ino asked Sakura as she looked out the window.

"About…three days."

Ino wasn't expecting an answer like that as quickly turned her head, "Really?" She really forgot how far the Fire country was.

"Don't worry, time will fly by and we'll be there in no time."

* * *

><p>It was the last day and they were close to the Fire country. Ino was going crazy since there isn't much you can do in a horse carriage.<p>

"Are we there yet?" Ino asked Sakura which seemed like the hundredth time.

"Almost princess, just be patient."

Ino groaned, but stopped because of the bumpy road. "What's up with these roads? There's so bumpy."

Then suddenly a rock busted through the window on Sakura's side. It startled both the girls. Luckily it didn't hit anyone.

"Did someone throw this? Or is it because the carriage?" Sakura asked puzzled. The carriage came to a sudden stop.

"Are you two alright?" the driver asked them from the front.

"Oh yes we are. A rock smashed the window though." Sakura explained what happened. Like it was before, the carriage was moving.

"I can't wait to get out of this carriage." Ino tried to go to sleep to pass time, but it seemed like the road didn't want her to.

"Stupid road." She muttered as her body bounced lightly up and down. She heard a loud snapping sound outside. Just as fast as the carriage started to move, it once again stopped.

"I'm sorry. A tree just suddenly fell in front of us. We'll have to go back and find a different way to get to the Fire country." The driver told the two young ladies in the back.

"Are you serious? What's next? The horses escaped?" Ino couldn't believe what was happening.

"That's odd. Tress don't just randomly fall." Sakura thought about it for a few minutes.

"Thanks for telling us." Ino said for Sakura and calmed down.

"Yes, your Majesty."

The horses turned the carriage around and were looking for an alternate route that leads to the Nara's.

"Don't you think this is all strange?" Sakura questioned Ino.

"A little. Don't worry, everything is fine." Ino tried to convince her but it didn't look like it was working. Minutes turned to an hour and they still weren't there. Ino thought at one point there weren't ever going to make and be stuck in the forest forever.

"Maybe we can get some help somewhere." Ino suggested out loud.

"But from where? We're surrounded by trees."

Ino thought of different ideas but nothing seemed possible. What seemed like an easy task became hard.

Ino was back to looking at the scenery outside. There wasn't much to look at. Tree after tree just kept on passing by. The horses picked up the speed tremendously.

"Why are we going so fast!" Sakura tried to hold on to something. High speeds and a rocky road wasn't a good combination. Sakura slid open the small window so she could talk to the driver.

"Excuse me, but why are we moving so fast?" She had to yell in order for him to hear her.

"I'm sorry but it seemed that something in the spooked the horses." He tried to calm the animals. Sakura closed the window and sat back down.

"And?" Ino started.

"Something scared the horses." Both ladies were not bouncing uncontrollably. The horses just kept on running. The horses tried to make a turn but instead a wheel broke, flipping the carriage over. The carriage slid a few feet before stopping.

"Princess! Princess Ino!" Sakura shook her a few times, "Princess Ino!"

Ino finally woke up and noticed how much pain her head in. She touched her head and noticed blood.

"Blood…I'm bleeding."

"Come on, lets get out so we can have a better look." Sakura carefully guided Ino out the broken carriage. The horses were still connected to the carriage but she didn't see the driver. She looked at Ino head and saw that she was bleeding a good amount.

"It seems that you have a small fracture. We'll get you a healer when we arrive in the Nara Kingdom. I'll go find the driver." Sakura then vanished into the forest. She had to find him fast before the sun settled behind the trees.

"Ino Yamanaka…" Ino quickly looked around to see who it was.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" She demanded. Two male ninjas appeared in front of her. Both ninjas are from the Hot Springs Country.

"We're here to bring you back." One of the ninjas said.

"Back...back where?"

"Where else? The Hot Spring Country of course. You don't belong here."

"Well I don't belong to your country! My home is the Crystal country! I'm not going back there!"

"Well sorry princess, looks like you have no choice." The two ninjas started to walk towards the young princess until her servant reappeared.

"Don't you dare touch her!" she ran in between the two ninjas and Ino with a knife in her hands.

"Why don't you do us a favor and just get out of our way." One of then ninjas ran towards Sakura with a katana in his hands. He was about to thrust his sword at Sakura when he suddenly fell to the ground. A kunai was thrown at his at his throat from someone in the forest.

"Its best if you don't go towards them." Shikamaru, Ryo, and Takeshi jumped from a branch.

"Shikamaru…" Ino was surprised to see him here. _"How did he find us here?"_

"You'll regret this!" the surviving ninja ran off before he was killed like his comrade.

"What a loser…" Ryo muttered.

"Are you two alright?" Shikamaru walked towards them.

Ino started to feel light-headed for some reason. Her world was spinning and becoming blurry. She lost too much blood than she should.

"Ino?" Shikamaru sensed that something was wrong with her. She saw her body wobble and ran towards her before her body touched the ground.

"Ino!" He looked at her head and saw the blood. "We need to get her back to the castle now!"

"Right! Lets go!" Ryo shouted.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7: Done! Sorry if the story is going by slowly : i hope there aren't any mistakes.

Leave a review~!


	8. A Glimmer of Hope

Sorry for the very long wait, i didnt mean for that to happen. But! its spring break here so i should be updating more frequently.

**Disclaimer: i do not own Naruto**

* * *

><p>Darkness, it surrounds her. Everywhere. No stream of light to be seen anywhere. Then it hit her again. The pain woke her up. Her eyes begin to flutter open.<p>

Ino groaned as she woke up. She stared at the ceiling, _"this room…" _she turned her head and examined the room. "Shikamaru…" she whispered his name to herself. This room is his. Ino slowly pulled herself up, trying to ignore the pain.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" she looked up and there he was. The guy she has known since she was little.

"Ha, what are you, my mother?" she was now sitting up. He walked over to her and sat at the foot of his bed.

"I was told that you can't remember your parent."

Ino let out a plain sigh, "Yeah, for some reason…I can't remember them. I don't why I can't. It's kind of frustrating, you know?"

"Well I really don't because I have all my memories." Ino gave him a murderous glare. One that could burn holes in a person's head.

"Shut up." She muttered 'smartass' at the end. She caught him looking at her head. "What is it?"

"How does your head feel?"

"Oh!" she almost forgot about her once bleeding head. She gently brought her hand to her head and found that it was wrapped in bandages. "It feels a little better, but it still hurts." She sat there thinking about the accident she was recently in.

Ino didn't notice when he stood up from his bed and over to her. He carefully placed his hand on her bandages. She flinched back a little. Ino looked at Shikamaru, and then her eyes got really wide. It came rushing back to her…a memory of hers. It was like finding a piece to a puzzle.

*~Memory obtained~*

Fire Country, Nara Kingdom. Yamanaka family's garden  
>Shikamaru &amp; Ino, age: 8 years old<p>

It was Princess Ino's eighth birthday and her parents held a party for their precious daughter in the family garden. All the house servants attended and so did the Nara family, along with the Akimichi family.

"Okay sweetie, are you ready?" the gentle king asked his daughter.

"Yes! I want to see my present!" she couldn't wait any longer to see what her parents got for her birthday.

"Okay, three, two, one…" her mother brought out the present Ino always wanted, a pony. As she brought out the pony, Inochi lifted his hands that were covering her azul eyes. She gasped so loud that everyone could hear it.

"A pony!" she yelled as she stared at the miniature horse. "Thank you so much!" she gave each of her parents a big hug.

"Would you like ride the pony?" her mother offered.

Ino gladly accepted and was mounted on. Her father led the pony around the garden once and returned Ino back to the ground. She quickly ran over to her two friends, Shikamaru and Chouji.

"So, what do you think of my pony? Cute isn't it?" She asked the two boys.

"Yeah, sure." Shikamaru replied monotony. Ino just sighed, knowing she would get that reply. Moving on, she turned to the boy beside Shikamaru.

"What about you Chouji?"

"I think it's pretty neat." Ino just gave a small, little laugh.

"Thanks, Chouji."

Later that evening

Ino couldn't stop thinking about her amazing present she got earlier that day. Of course it was in a stable, which had to be built.

"_Maybe I could ride it quickly. Nobody will notice..."_ silently she avoided the sight of any adult or a friend.

"Where are you going?" hed older brother stepped in her way.

"I'm...just going to take a walk threw the garden." she hoped that would be enough to convince him.

Both siblings stared at each other until Ino took off running, leaving her brother behind.

She found the pony's location, put on all the equipment needed on the pony and took it out its stable. She took her pony to the garden and hopped on its back. She was enjoying her little around the garden. It wasn't till the pony heard a cracking noise in the bushes and startled it. It started to run and threw off the young princess.

"Ino! Where are you?" Shikamaru called out. "Your parents wish to speak with you."

Ino cried silently to herself. Her elbow was in pain. She tried to stop when she heard Shikamaru's voice.

Turning a corner, he found her on the ground cradling her elbow. "Ino? Are you okay?" he walked closer to her and saw tears running down her face.

Thrown back, he asked, "What happened?" he crouched down to her level.

"I…I was riding the po-pony and…it got scared. I don't know…where it is…" she tried to explain through her sobs. "I'm going to be i-in so much tr-trouble." This only made her cry harder.

"It's okay Ino. Just clam down. I see that your elbow hurts. Come on, we got to take you inside." Shikamaru stood up and offered his hand. Looking at him, and then his hand, she took it.

"I don't want to go in there." She said as she squeezed his hand.

"It'll be fine."

"But I might have to go the doctors and it'll hurt."

"You're strong Ino. You have to be tough." He tried to reassure the scared princess.

Ino groaned in defeat, "Come one. Let's go." He led her, still holding onto her hand. Inside, she explained what happened to her to her parents. Her mother took her to the Tsunade and got it wrapped.

"Ino, you are not allowed to ride the pony unless I or your father is supervising you, understand?" she told Ino once they returned home.

"I understand." Ino replied in a low voice.

"Good, you can go now. Be careful."

Ino ran, or walked quickly, around the castle till she found her friend in the kitchen with his mother.

"Ino! How are you?" Queen Yoshino asked as she walked in.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking. I learned my lesson."

"Thank you too Shika for helping me." She ran up to him, gave him and a kiss on the cheek. Shikamaru, surprised, turned a bright red. All Ino did was giggle and smile at him. Yoshino watched the two children from behind.

"How troublesome…" he said, looking away from her.

"Hey!" Yoshino smacked her son upside his head, "That is not how we talk to people!"

He tried to rub the pain away, "Well, it's true." He stated quietly so his mother wouldn't scold him again. Ino laughed at the scene before her.

* * *

><p>"Ino….Ino…Ino!" he waved his hand in front of her face, trying to bring her down to earth.<p>

"Ah! What!" She slapped his hand away.

"You just zoned out all of a sudden. I think you need more sleep." He suggested to the blonde.

"No…I just remembered something. Remember that time when I got a pony for my birthday?"

The prince sat there for a couple of minutes, recalling all the memories of her birthday.

"Yeah, I remember. You fell off it."

Ino lightly laughed at him, "I just remembered that. I can't believe I forgot about that! I wonder what happened to the pony."

"I think your parents sold it in the end. Wait…you just remembered a lost memory?"

"Yeah…it just came to me when you touched my head." Ino thought about it for a little for a couple of seconds.

Shikamaru looked down at his hand, "your memory might have connection with what is happening now."

"You may be right. I got injured in the accident and in my memory; I got hurt from riding the pony."

"See? You're getting your memories back; it just might take some time."

A knock on the door interrupting their conversation, "Come in."

"Lord Shikamaru, Princess Temari just arrived from the Sand Kingdom. She wishes to see to see you." A servant announced.

"Thank you. You may leave now."

"Yes, my Lord."

"I should leave. Try to get more sleep." He told Ino before he left his room.

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><p>Sorry for the boring chapter...and for the long flashback. (I wanted it to be shorter but that didnt happen).<br>Nonetheless, thank you very much for reading this chapter~ 3  
>Please leave a review~<p> 


	9. Two Blondes

Hell eveyone! I'm back with a new chapter! I'm sorry if i got Temari's last name wrong or if I misspelled it. I don't have much to say so I'm going to leave you guys here to read.  
>Enjoy~<p>

**Disclaimer: i do not own Naruto**

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><p>Ino only slept for a little bit before she woke up again. Not feeling tired anymore, Ino got up the bed a searched for her suitcase.<p>

"_Where is that bag?"_ she looked in his closet until she noticed it by his dresser. She picked out her evening clothes and quickly changed into them and took off her bandages. She didn't want to stay in his room all day, so she left to see what was going on. She found everyone in the dining room. Some chefs were preparing food in the kitchen. It looked like someone was throwing a party, there were many people talking to each other.

"Ah, milday!" Sakura noticed Ino and stopped her conversation with a meaningless person, "Did you get enough rest?"

"Yes, I'm better now. Are you fine Sakura?"

"Don't worry about me; you're the one with the head injury."

Ino laughed at her comment, "So, what is happening here?" she looked around at everyone.

"The Nara family is holding a banquet for the No Subaku family. It's for the two families to get closer."

"Oh, I see. Should we go upstairs?" Ino didn't feel like she should really be her. She felt out of place. It's not she was a part of either families.

"Ino!" she heard her name being called. She looked around until she found a middle-aged woman walking towards here.

"Aunt Yoshino!" Ino met her half-way and hugged her. "Its been a long time since I've seen you." She missed Yoshino; she was like a second mother. Ino didn't remember her a lot, but she remembers some.

"I should be saying that. How have you been?"

"I have been fine. It was a rocky trip getting here."

"I heard!" her voice suddenly got serious, "I was worried when they brought you here unconscious. You scared us all!"

Ino gave an embarrassing laugh, "I'm sorry. I'm healing now."

"Please don't over work yourself. Make sure you take care of that injury."

"Don't worry I will. I hear that your family is holding a banquet."

"You're right. Princess Temari and her family arrived here earlier today. Have you met her before?"

"No I haven't. I only have seen them before."

"Oh, well you must!" She grabbed Ino's hand and dragged her through the sea of people. "As you probably know, Shikamaru is getting married to her. She's a nice girl."

Ino just listened as she was being pulled through the crowed. At the other side of the room was the future Nara to-be with her fiancé, Shikamaru.

"Queen Yoshino." Temari bowed at her arrival.

"No need for that Temari. I want you to meet a family friend. This is Yamanaka Ino, from the Crystal country."

"Pleasure to meet you." She bowed once again, "I'm Temari from the Sand Country."

Mimicking the same action, "Pleasure is mine."

"Ino will be staying with us for a little while for medical reasons, so please watch after her. And Ino…" she turned her attention to the younger blonde, "Your welcome to stay here and enjoy yourself."

"Thank you, I will." She watched her as she left to talk to some other people. She felt awkward with just the two of them.

"So, when are you two getting married?" She tried to break the ice.

"We decided to get married sometime in the summer of next year." She took a sip of her wine.

"'We'?" Shikamaru asked his fiancé. "More like you decided." Ino watched the two of them bicker. The two of them seemed happy though. It was then Ino started to feel lonely. She almost felt…envious. She didn't realize it, but she started to zone out.

"Ino?" he was starting to get worried about her again. This was the second time today.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"Are you sure you're fine? You've been spacing out lately."

"Totally, why wouldn't I be?" She smiled at him, even though it didn't convince him enough. He just decided to drop it.

He let out a sigh, "If you say so."

"Since when did you ever worry about me, Shika?"

"Who said I was?" Ino's jaw slightly dropped.

"You're so mean!" she punched his shoulder. She almost forgot that Temari was there. She decided to leave so they could have their alone time.

"I should go; Sakura is looking kind of lonely by herself. It was time meeting you Temari." She gave one last final bow before leaving.

She saw Sakura sitting at the large table, talk to a stranger. The person left as she sat down.

"How is Temari?" she asked curious since she hasn't met her either.

"She seems nice and mature. They look good together. She seems like his type."

"You know his type?"

"Well, she seems like the type of girl he would go out with."

"I see. I hope they're happy together."

"I wish I was like them, instead I'm all by myself." Ino begun to sulk as she thought about it.

"Don't worry, Ino! You'll find a nice suitor." She tried to cheer her up but it didn't seem to work.

"That's what they all say…"

The tapping of a glass was heard throughout the spacious room.

"We would like to thank the No Subaku family for coming all the way over here. We hope you enjoy your time here." Shikaku made the speech to all of the guest. Everyone took a seat with Temari and Shikamaru at the head of the table. Everyone was served food and wine as people made small talk the person they sat next to. The rest of the evening just flew by it seem for Ino. All she did was talk to people who she would most likely never see again. After the banquet was done, she went to her room. She had her own room her since she would stay here sometimes when she was younger. She and Sakura were sharing the room. Temari was also staying here as her family left. She was staying in the guest bedroom.

In the middle of the night, she woke up from a nightmare. She hopped out of bed and went to the kitchen for some water. As she was going down the stairs she noticed that there was a light turned on in the kitchen. Temari was also in the kitchen for some unknown reason.

"Hey, Temari. Can't sleep?" she asked as she poured herself a glass of cold water.

"I just got thirsty and came dwon here for a drink of water. And you?"

"I had a nightmare." She drank her water silently.

"What's you and Shikamaru's relationship?" Ino almost choked on her water from the sudden question.

"Excuse me?"

"I said what's you and Shikamaru's relationship?"

No one asked her this question before. She was really surprised her that Temari would. "We're just childhood friends."

"Oh, okay. It just seemed like you liked him."

Ino was almost taken back by her reply. "Me?" she could almost laugh just by the thought of it.

"He thinks I'm too troublesome."

"I'm not surprised. He thinks I am too." Both of them laughed together. Ino set down her glass in the sink.

"What was your nightmare about?"

"Oh...nothing important really. It was about a friend." If she told her about it, she would probably become suspicious. Her nightmare was actually about Shikamaru and his marriage. In her dream he kept on avoiding her and ignoring her, like they weren't friends anymore. She tried everything to get his attention back, but all failed. She feared that after he got married, she would be forgotten by him. It was the last thing she wanted to happen since she can't really remember a lot of people.

"I see. Well I'm going to go back to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

"Good night." She heard her footsteps slowly faded away and was left by herself. _"That was close."_

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><p>Sorry for any mistakes (._.) But how was it? Will Temari and Ino become closer? You'll see in the next chapter hopefully.<br>Please leave a review~ Until next time!


	10. A time to relax

Hey, readers! Long time, no write XD (Excuse me for my...jokes...) I wanted to get this chapter out beofre my exams, so please wait for me till they're over!  
>Sorry for any mistakes or typos...<br>Enjoy~

**Disclaimer: i do not own Naruto**

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><p>It was just another day for Ino. Nothing exciting was happening and there was nothing to do. Ino just looked at the distant scenery from her balcony. She sighed deep enough to move her bangs. There wasn't much to look at besides rolling hills and trees, which she didn't mind too much.<p>

"_What to do, what to do…"_ Sakura was too busy helping Yoshino and the other servants. Only sometimes would she keep Ino company. It wasn't till Ino saw some horses that she got interested.

"_It's been a while since I been on a horse…"_ it wasn't the best idea since that time she rode that pony. Maybe she shouldn't ride a larger size pony, but that didn't stop her. She made her way down the grand staircase towards the stables where the horses were kept. She found some servants attending to the empty stables and horses.

"Excuse me," she caught the attention of a young male servant, "Is it okay for me to ride one of these horses?"

"W-well, I'm not sure if you're allowed to, princess. It would be best to ask the King and Queen." He was caught off with her beauty.

"Oh, please~ I won't be gone for long," she put her big blue eyes to work, mesmerizing the young servant.

"I-I guess it shouldn't be a problem." His eyes were glued to her eyes.

"Oh, thank you!" she gave the servant a quick hug and changed into the proper attire for horse-back riding. She put the equipment on the horse and walked it out the stables.

"Where do you think you're going?" Ino jumped up a few feet. She turned around to see who scared her.

"Shika! What the hell! You scared me! What do you want?"

"Like I said, where are you going?" he said with his usual monotone voice.

"I'm just…going for a ride." She simply stated.

"A ride? Do you even know where you're going?"

"I do!" she said defending herself.

He sighed, knowing she was wrong, "Doubt it. Stay here. I'll be right back." he disappeared into the stables.

"What is he doing?" she asked herself the question. After a few minutes, she saw him come out with his very own horse.

"W-what? You're coming with me?"

"Like I can trust you by yourself, Ino. When was the last time you been here?"

"Hey! Just because I haven't been here for a long time doesn't mean I forgot everything."

"Yeah, just most of everything." Ino tired staring at him until holes burned in his skin.

"Ugh…fine. Let's go." Shikamaru led her to a trail that led to the forest not too far from the castle. Ino quietly followed behind.

It was quite peaceful in the forest. All was heard were birds' songs and the fluttering on their wings. It was very relaxing. It made Ino forget about all her worries and fears. She could think freely here without any interruptions. But there were some things she wanted to know about a certain someone.

"Hey, Shika…"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay with getting married?" he didn't answer her right away. She thought he wouldn't give her an answer at all.

"I don't know. All I know is that I have to, whether I'm ready or not."

Hearing his answer made her…a little sad. She wouldn't like it if she was forced to be married to a stranger. She couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

"Do…do you love her?" she was hesitant about asking the question.

"That's a good question. I don't even know myself." Then it was back to silence. Ino could hear hooves step against the ground. She rode her horse next to Shikamaru's. She decided to change the subject.

"Do you come here often?"

"You could say that. Whenever I want to be by myself."

"What's so good about being by yourself? Don't you get lonely?" she looked over, trying to read his face.

He gave out a chuckle, "No, it gives me a chance to relax from all the work I have to do."

She stayed silence for a couple moments, _"He must be exhausted…" _

"Wait." She was drawn back to reality by Shikamaru's voice. She watched him jump off his horse. He walked deeper into the forest.

"H-hey! Don't leave me here!" she quickly dismounted her horse to follow him.

She kept on following him until he stopped in front of her.

"What are you doing?" she looked at him, but he just pointed out in front of him with a smile.

"Oh..my..god…" in front of her was a field filled with different types of flowers, each a different color. It left Ino speechless. She had never seen anything as beautiful as this.

"How did you find this place?" she asked bewildered.

"Well, I do come to this forest often. I knew you would like something like this." A smirk covered his face.

She ran towards all the flowers, taking in the multiple scents. She fell back onto the wild flowers. It was like heaven to her. She looked up into the sky, watching the fluffy cotton balls float by. Could it get any better than this? Suddenly, _it _happened again…

~Memory Obtained~  
>Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji<br>Age: 11  
>Flower Festival<p>

Today was going to an exciting day for Ino. It was one of her favorite days, the annual Flower festival. Today, people of all ages would give flowers to those they like, adore, or love. Activities were also held throughout the Crystal country. Eleven year old Ino loved this day. Every year, she would get piles and piles of flowers, wishing her to stay healthy and more. The Nara and Akimichi family came this year to celebrate the festival with the Yamanakas.

The sun was high in the sky and a beautiful day. A third of Ino's room was already filled with flowers and smelled wonderful. Ino found her friends, sitting at the kitchen table eating cookies.

She happily made her way to the table and took a seat.

She looked at the two boys, "So?

"Yes?" Shikamaru looked at Ino.

"You know what today is?"

"It's the flower festival." Chouji was clueless as to what was going on with Ino.

"Yesss~ so…did you get flowers for a certain someone?"

"My mom." Shikamaru stated and so did Chouji.

"Did you guys get flowers for…I don't know…friends?"

Chouji laughed and knew she wanted some more, even though it seemed like she had thousands. Choiji hoped put his chair, "One moment." and vanished behind a corner. He appeared a few minutes with a bouquet full of baby breath flowers.

"These are for you." He held out his arm holding the flowers. "My mom helped me pick these out."

Ino face lit up and she thanked him with a hug, "Thank you Chouji. You're a good friend!" she then turned to the other boy. "Do you have something to give me?"

"I don't have anything."

Her once happy face changed into one of melancholy, "Why so?"

"Too troublesome. If I was to give you flowers you would probably say something bad about the flowers." He picked up a cookie and took a bite.

"How would you know? You always think you know everything when you really don't! It wouldn't kill you to do something 'troublesome' for a friend you know!" she stormed out the kitchen to her room.

~That Evening~

The sun was setting but the festival was still going on. Ino stayed in her room ever since the incident. She wasn't going to go downstairs to apologize either. She was looking towards the flowers she would get from her friends. At least Chouji gave her some. She just leaned against the balcony rail. She heard a knock from her door and went to answer it.

At her door was a person she didn't feel like talking to, "What do you want?" without saying a word he held out his arm.

"Here." In front of her was a bouquet filled with colorful flowers. "I'm sorry about earlier." He said with a quiet voice. His and Ino's face were colored a light pink. Ino didn't know what to say, she wasn't expecting this!

"Thank you." She slowly grabbed the flowers and smelled their scent, "They're pretty!" she radiated and Shikamaru felt relieved. "I'm sorry about earlier too."

"It's okay, you're right anyways." She lightly laughed. She thanked him once more and surprisingly gave him a kiss on the cheek. A big smile appeared on her face and she returned to her room, leaving Shikamaru surprised. He touched his cheek where her lips touched and slightly smiled. He then went back down stairs to find Chouji.

~*~*End*~*~

"You remembered another memory?" she looked to her side and found him lying next to her, which almost scared her.

"Umm, yeah. It was about the flower festival."

"Wow…that was a long time ago."

"I can't believe I got mad at you for not getting me flowers." She stated, embarrassed. She covered her face so he wouldn't see her face.

"I can." He looked at her, but wouldn't see her.

"Shut up!" she grabbed some flowers from the ground and threw them at Shikamaru and laughed. He wiped away the flower that covered his face. It had been a while since he heard her laugh and it made him feel warm. He knew she was having a tough time, trying to remember everything and meet people she already knew before. It was nice to see her relaxed.

He sat himself up and leaned over Ino, "Don't move." He gently wiped away the petal on her cheek. As he did, he couldn't help but notice how blue her eyes were. Just like the sky, he could look into her eyes for hours. Both of them looked into each other's eyes. He quickly noticed that he was staring at her and looked away.

"Sorry." He apologized to her. Ino was almost shocked. She hasn't seen this side of him, it was amusing.

"It's okay." She stood up and dusted off her pants, she held out her hand towards Shikamaru. "I think we should head back." He took her hand and went back to the forgotten horses.

"Thanks for coming with me." And they back to the castle.

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><p>When both the princess and prince arrived at the gate, Temari came rushing out with his mother following behind.<p>

"Shikamaru! Are you okay? Where were you!" Temari asked as he got of his horse.

"I'm fine. I just went on a ride with Ino."

"You didn't bother to tell us? I thought you were still on your mission! I thought you might of got caught…" Temari's last statement confused Ino.

"_He was on a mission? What does she mean by 'caught'?"_

"You worry too much. I said I'm fine." That didn't help Temari calm down though.

"Come on Shikamaru, let's go clean you up." And the both of them walked away. Ino and Temari were left. Ino didn't like the tension in the air.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ino was caught off guard.

"What?"

"What are you doing with him? Going on a ride alone, something is going on."

Ino dismount her horse, "You're crazy. Me and Shikamaru are friends! Nothing more…"

"Well it seems like you like him." Ino thought all of this was unnecessary.

Her face was tinted a light pink, "Well you're wrong."

"Just stay away from him; he's marrying me, not you." She returned back to the castle. Ino's head was spinning.

"_What the hell…"_ she grabbed the horse's reins and took it to the stables.

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><p>Chapter 10: Done~<br>What do you think about this chapter? I think it could of done a little better like towards the end...sorry! (.) I still think it was good though hahaha.

Reviews onegaishimasu! (*^^*)


	11. Deja Vu

Hello~! Sorry i haven't updated in a while ^^; i'll try to do better! Actually, i was having writer's-block. BVut here it is! Enjoy~

**Diclamier: i do NOT own Naruto or any characters**

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><p>"A report came in early this morning. Some Hot Spring ninja invaded their castle and are most likely on their way here for the princess. We all have to be on alert for any suspicions. We will need guards or an escort to protect the princess to be with her if she decides to go outside the castle."<p>

"That is true. We have to make sure the princess is safe at all time." Takeshi added.

"That'll be all for today." Shikamaru stood up and announced. Everyone rose and left out the doors.

"You did well…" His father, Shikaku, praised him as his son walked out the door. It wasn't often that he did.

"Whatever keeps her safe."

"Sakura~" Ino layed on her bed, facing the ceiling.

"Yes?" she appeared from the closet as she was organizing it.

"What shall we do today? It's boring staying in here all day long~!" Ino complained as she rolled on her bed.

Sakura sweat dropped, "You're such a child." She mumbled under her breath. "Well what do you wish to do?"

"Hmmm…" she sat up and pondered for a few seconds, "Let's go outside. I would like to go see the market they have here. It might help with my memories too."

Seeing that it wouldn't hurt going to the market, she decided to go with her. "If you want to. Get ready."

~*~*~*~*~*~  
>"Wow~!" Ino looked at every shop. It wasn't a really fancy market place but it was big. Big enough to get lost.<p>

"You probably have been here before right? You just don't remember…"

"Yeah…most likely." She looked down at the ground. Without looking, she bumped into a person.

"Ah! Sorry!" she bowed and continued walking. The man she bumped into watched her until he lost her in the crowd.

"Look at these flowers." They stopped in front of a flower shop. "Maybe I should get some for Yoshino and Shikaku." She looked around at the various flowers, deciding which one to buy.

"Hey…" She turned her head to find Sakura crouching beside her. "Are you two okay? You and Temari, I mean. I saw you two talking to each when you and Prince Shikamaru came back from the horse ride. I saw through the window…"

"Oh, its okay." Ino showed her a reassuring smile. "We just had a little conversation, there's nothing to worry about." She stood up with her flowers and helped Sakura up.

"I'm going to pay then we can go."

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><p>Ino stepped out the room after giving the bouquet to Shikamaru's parent. She saw the young prince walking the hall towards her.<p>

"Did you need something?"

"No. Just gave you parents some flowers." She wore a satisfied expression.

"You went out to the market today?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Just…be careful" he tried not to sound suspicions.

"What's the matter? Is something happening around here?" she was getting really curious now. She didn't like to be kept in the dark.

"It's nothing you should worry about." He walked passed her, not looking back at her.

"What's his problem?" she muttered to herself and returned back to her room.

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><p>"Did they like the flowers?" Sakura asked sitting at Ino's desk.<p>

"Yeah. Hey, is something happening here or something? You must know something." She eyed her carefully.

"No….why do you ask?" Ino just sighed. It must not be important then she thought to herself.

"Never mind, it's nothing."

Hours went by and the sun was already setting. Ino decided to go to bed earlier than usually since of the lack of excitement. It was in the late, or early, hours when her bedroom window opened. It wasn't windy that night either. Carefully and quietly, about three ninjas made their way towards Ino's bed. One of the ninjas covered Ino's eyes and mouth. Even though she tried to fight against them it wasn't enough. The ninja dragged her out the bed and the others carried her out the window. They took her out of the castle walls so no one would hear her. The mysterious ninjas took her into a forest and tied her wrists and ankles together.

"What do you want?" her eyes her tearing up from fear. "I'll give you money or jewelry. Whatever you want!" It seemed like déjà vu from five years ago. The last thing she wanted to go was back to that laboratory.

"How much do you know and can you use _it?_" one of the ninjas asked her suddenly.

"W-what? I don't remember most of my memories….and….what's _it_" without notice she was knocked out.

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><p>I know...it was shorter than usual. The next chapter will be the normal length (hopefully). I'll probably update "Missing Piece" next though so look out for that too! (^.^)<p> 


	12. Hidden powers

Sorry, this chapter would of been uploaded sooner but i ran into some problems but i fixed them~~ i hope you will enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer: i do NOT own Naruto nor the characters.**

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><p>Knock, knock. "Hey, it's getting late, Ino. It's almost noon, you can't be in bed all day long." She waited a few seconds to see if she would get a response. "Ino~." Sakura opened the door to see if the princess was in her bed. Ino wasn't there. She looked all around her room and in her closet. Surprisingly, Ino really wasn't there, but Sakura just brushed it off. She figured she was out with someone. Maybe so one else knew where she was. So, she went to find the princess's friend, Shikamaru.<p>

Sakura knocked on his door till she was granted permission. "Good morning, prince Shikamaru and princess Temari. Have you seen Ino this morning? I didn't find her in her room."

"Hm, no. I haven't today either." Temari answer wasn't much help either.

"Oh, I see. Excuse me then." And she quietly shut the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
>Shikamaru sat at his desk, staring at his paper. Temari grew curious beside him, "Hey, what's the matter?" She didn't get an immediate answer.<p>

She turned her face away from his. "…..are you thinking about her?" she said with a small voice.

He turned his head slightly towards her, "Does it matter?" They didn't make eye contact. Silence filled the room.

"What's happening? Are you growing feelings? If so tell me now!" she voice was starting to rise. I'm not going to marry a cheater."

"Let's just plan this wedding." He didn't want this conversation to continue only. It would only cause trouble.

"You're hopeless."

"_Somebody has to know…"_

It was evening and no one has seen the princess. Something has to be wrong! How can you not of seen a person all day! She had to take action herself. So Sakura decided to go to town to search for her. But even asking many people, she got the same answer, "No, I haven't, sorry." Or something like that.

"I have to report this." She ran back till her legs wouldn't let her anymore.

* * *

><p>"Ughh~" she groaned as she regained conscious. The chair was uncomfortable. Ino tried to move her arms and legs, but found it wasn't possible. She looked around to find out that her ankles were tied to the legs of the chair. Her wrists were tied together behind her back. She looked to see where she was at. The walls were glass besides one wall with a door. All she could out the see out the windows were trees. She figured she was in a forest, but was she still in the Fire country? Or…somewhere else.<p>

A door opened behind her; someone entered the room.

"I finally found you." He caressed her check from behind. Her body stiffened from his touch.

"Why did you bring me here! What do you want from me? You had me for years and haven't told me anything to what you're doing with me. Thanks to you people, I can't remember anything!"

"Hmmm….is that so?" Akihiro ran his fingers through her long ponytail. "It was because of you that I lost my position…" he grabbed her hair in his fist, "why I was tortured!" he yanked her head back. She screamed as her hair was pulled.

He looked directly in her eyes, "Shall we begin?"

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><p>"Enter."<p>

"Lord Shikaku, Princess Ino can't be found."

"What do you mean?"

"You couldn't be found anywhere?" Yoshino stood up, surprised.

"This morning, I went to wake her up and she wasn't there. I asked everyone in the castle and no one has seen her. I even went to town to ask villagers. I think someone took her." Her eyes were starting to water up.

"We must send out a search team right away, Shikaku." Yoshino looked directly at her husband. Who knows what she was going through now.

"I'll assemble one right away." He left the room and ordered a meeting.

"Thank you for telling us." Yoshino gave Sakura a hug. "We'll find her as soon as possible….I promise." Sakura returned the hug as tears fell onto the floor.

**Meeting room**

"It was reported that Princess Yamanaka Ino today. No one has seen her since last night. I need the whole village searched. If she still isn't found, then we'll have to broaden the boundaries…."

A plan was devised and search teams were formed. Everyone hoped that the missing princess would be found, alive and well.

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><p>"Ready? I'll be running some tests on you."<p>

"Tests? Am I going to be released?"

"Maybe. Stay here, I'll be right back." In an instant, Ino lost conscious again, but from Akihiro this time. He grabbed a black glove from his lab coat and inserted his hand. He placed his covered hand on her forehead. As he closed his eyes, the tips of his fingers glowed yellow. All of Ino's current memories flashed across in him mind.

"Activate." He whispered. Her whole body slightly glowed yellow. She slowly opened her eyes. She felt a chill go down her spine. Goosebumps rose on her skin.

"Do you feel any different?" he asked as he stepped away from the girl.

"No….am I suppose to?"

"Who know? You're the first to have this…"

"This?" the single word ran through her head. What could _"This_" really mean?

He simply ignored her question, "Don't you wish you were back home in your nice, big castle? Instead you're here, once again. No one will come after you this time."

Ino was taken back, "What are you talking about? You don't know anything!"

"Not even _'he'_ is coming for you. You're just a hopeless little girl after all. You haven't changed at all. I don't know what he sees in you."

"Shut up! You don't have any right to say that!" She really wished she was tied to this stupid chair right now. Where was he trying to get at? She tried getting up but she knew she couldn't.

"No one would ever love a girl like you. You're broken. A girl trying to regain her memories. Like that'll ever happen. You're better off here than being a burden to those people you call _'friends' _and _'family'."_

"SHUT UP!" all the windows in the room shattered. Ino's eyes widened as she looked at the broken glass on the floor.

"What…what happened?" she looked at Akihiro for an answer.

"Hm, looks like this might be successful."

"What are you going on about! I would like to know too you know!" surprisingly, he walked to her and started to untie the ropes. She didn't know to either run away or to attack him once he was done untying the ropes.

He seemed calm while taking off the ropes. Like he knew everything would be okay. He was impossible to understand! He walked towards the glass-less windows and avoided the glass. Akihiro walked outside, into the setting sun. He then looked backed at her, as if he was waiting for her…

She was confused to either to follow him or to stay where she was. What was she suppose to do? Since she was lost, she just followed him. She followed him until they reached a clearing.

He walked up to her, "Relax." She closed her eyes and took and a deep breathe. It was like her body automatically moved. Next thing she felt a cool breeze. She opened her eyes and saw that she was in the air. What in the air? She was actually…levitating. She was above all the trees and could see the sun slowly set behind the mountains.

"AHHH!" she waved her arms and legs like a mad woman.

"_How is this possible? What did he do?"_ she just floated in the air. She then started to fly carelessly. THUMP! She ran into a…wall? When she looked up after rubbing her head and saw what looked to be a barrier. She was locked in a big dome. No wonder he was fine with untying her.

She carefully made her way back down to earth. "How is it? You're the first to have this power. There's more to learn."

"Wait, I don't want to stay here! Let me out of here!"

He smirked at her, "I don't think you'll have much of a choice."

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><p>Done with chapter 12~!<br>Leave a review before you leave! :]


	13. On the brink of war

So~ here's the next chapter. Sorry, i took my time thinking and write this story. If there is any mistakes, I'm sorry~ I hope you'll enjoy this story(^^)

**Disclaimer: i DO NOT own Naruto or characters besides my own.  
><strong>

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><p>"Can you at least tell me what your plans are?" Her luck was just get worse as time went by. First the missing memories and now these powers. Could it get any worse?<p>

"Well since you're not escaping again, it wouldn't hurt to tell you your future. We have been in many wars with your country. We need to expand our country. It seems like our military is getting weaker with each war so we decided to 'upgrade' our military. You have been chosen to test out these new powers. In the next twenty-four hours, you'll have some new memories on how to use your powers."

"So I'm just being used?"

"More or less."

"But that still doesn't my answer to why I was chosen! You could of picked some random ninja."

"Our scientists in this country are the best so we knew that they wouldn't make any mistakes, not unless they want to die. You were chosen because you're going to be in the next war."

"The….next war?" Ino eyes widened. She started to panic inside but refused to show him. She had to get the news out to her parents or to the Fire country so they could prepare.

"You heard right. Since it seems like the powers are working fine and your body is in good condition." Ino's face was tinted slightly pink.

"All we did was…re-wired a few things in your brain. Along with that, a special fluid was interested into your body. I'll tell you what that's for later on. What happened to you will happen to everyone in our military. Thanks to you, we'll be unstoppable."

She couldn't believe this was happening to her. All she wanted was a normal life as a princess but it seems like that was never going to happen. She knew that these powers were going to change her life, for good or bad.

"So will their memories will be erased too?" she asked quietly. It was bad enough that her memories were lost but to have this happen to more people? She didn't want their lives to be messed up…..somewhat like hers.

"No. the only reason yours is erased is because is so that you'll obey to our commands. So that your emotions won't get in the way of our plan. With you knowing nobody but us, you'll be able to kill anyone without feeling anything. With you on our side, the Crystal country would have to surrender. Your parents wouldn't hurt their precious daughter." A wicked smile grew on his face. Seeing that the sun was setting, he turned his back on her and went back to the almost destroyed building.

"It seems like we'll have to fix your memories again since you escaped." He decided to tell her before he left.

It was all too much for her. She knees gave out from under her. Tears streamed down her face from distress. She was just starting to remember the people she forgotten and now to have to forget them again? She began to cry harder. She wanted to see Shikamaru's face one more time, to laugh with Sakura one more time and to hug her parents one more time. Even so, it didn't seem like she would get the chance.

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><p>"Your Majesty, my team has searched places we were suppose to but we didn't find her." Ryo knelled before the king and queen of the fire country.<p>

"I see. Very well then, you're dismissed until further notice."

"Your Majesty." Ryo rose and left the room.

Shikaku and his wife heard the same news all afternoon and evening. Ino wasn't going to be in the Fore country they figured. They had to expand their horizons.

"She's been taken to another country." Yoshino thought since Ino was most likely not in this country.

"You're right. It's probably the Hot Spring country. They're the only country with a bad reputation with the Crystal country."

"Did you send a letter to Inochi and Miyuki yet?"

"Already did. I told them about them about the situation. I'm going to have to send them another one since it seems like the Hot spring ninja have her. I'll be right back."

Walking from the Throne room, he noticed his only son walking towards him. They both stopped a few feet from each other. The atmosphere was tense around them.

"What's happening around here? I haven't seen Ino all day. Did something happen to her?" Shikamaru demanded answers.

"It's under control. You don't need to worry about it." Shikaku wasn't going to worry his son…not yet.

"It doesn't seem like that. I see people running around everywhere." He couldn't believe that everything was just fine. Without seeing Ino, he would at least hear her loud voice echo throughout the castle.

"Like I said, everything is fine." He walked passed his son without looking back and sent his letter.

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><p>Shizune knocked on the door leading to the family living room. She entered with their approval, "Your Highness, a letter has just been received today. It comes from the Fire country regarding Princess Ino."<p>

"Thank you, could you bring that to me?" Inochi asked. This worried him more since he already received a letter before from Shikaku. He hoped for the best.

"What does the letter say?" His wife, Miyuki asked but was denied an answer. Both Miyuki and Deidara began to grow curious. Inochi's eyes ran back and forth steadily as he skimmed through the letter.

"…_your daughter has most likely been taken by Hot Spring Ninja…"_

His blood ran cold. His eyes were fixated on those simple three words, "Hot Spring Ninja." His knuckles turned white from crushing the sides of the paper.

"…..have her…" Miyuki and Deidara couldn't understand what he was trying to say.

"I'm sorry but could you say that louder?"

"They have her! Those damn Hot spring ninja!" he turned around to face them so they could hear, not like he was loud enough.

"A-are you sure?!" Miyuki grabbed the letter from his hands and Deidara followed. The letter wasn't lying. The news could make Miyuki faint knowing that her daughter was once again in their hands. She fought the urge to and continued reading.

"Well….we don't know for sure…" she tried to calm her husband down but it didn't seem like anything was.

"But mom…we don't have a bad relationship with any other country besides with the Hot Spring." The more and more they thought about it, the more it seemed like the Hot Spring ninjas were the culprits.

"A war will most likely start huh?" Deidara could already see what would happen next.

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><p>Yep! You'll see what happens next chapter~ I'll try my best not to take too much time.(^^;;<p>

Please read and review~! Until next time!


	14. Missing you

Sorry, I planned to update this story for its 1 year anniversary hahaha but...it didn't go as planned :/ But its here now! I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: i do not own Naruto**

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><p>"Good, just like that." Akihito praised Ino as they trained in the field by the house she was kept in. All morning, Akihito trained on how to use her telekinesis. He cut down some trees and have her pick them up using her powers. Throughout the two weeks they been together, she grew stronger and learn different jutsus. Some just came to her somehow, like she already knew. The only difference between now and two weeks ago was that she had some memories. Now she knew no one besides the people she talked to in the Hot spring country. All of her memories before have been stored away in a different part in her mind. Everything was going according to plan for Akihito…<br>~~~

Both the Fire and Crystal country prepared their armies for an upcoming war. Everyone was in a frantic because of the missing princess. Everything had to be perfect to get her back. But ever since Shikamaru found out that she was captured again by the Hot spring ninja, he avoided his parents more than before. With that, Shikamaru and Temari decided to put the wedding on hold; now wasn't the best time to plan one. But today would be the day that both countries would go to the Hot spring country. Little did they know of the power of the Hot spring's army. After a day, the Fire ninja arrived at their designated location. Both leaders would have to use the ear pieces to communication. The sun no longer in the sky and Shikamaru decided to go to make sure the area was safe.

Ino, in her bed, went outside for some air. She felt restless as if she knew something was going to happen. The summer breeze felt nice against her skin. She was feeling better till she heard a twig snap. Ino looked around but found no one around.

"Who's there?!" she shouted to the trees around her. She turned around to go back inside but at the same time, someone else appeared.

"…Ino?" she turned around hearing her name, but didn't recognized the person.

"How do you know my name?" she was sure that they haven't met before. The guy before her grew confused.

"What do you mean, Ino? It's me…Shikamaru." Ino looked lost though. They just stood there, looking at each other.

"I'm sorry but I don't know you…we never met before."

"Stop playing around Ino! We knew each other since we were kids!" he furiously grabbed her wrist, leading her.

"Wait!" she tried to loosen his grip but failed. She had to use it…

Sudden, an unknown force pushed Shikamaru away twenty feet. Without seeing if he was fine or not, she ran back into the comfort of her room.

Shikamaru sat up, rubbing his sore head. "The hell happened?" he muttered to himself. The genius didn't know what to do. He looked around to see if he could find her, but she was out of sight. With it being late and dark, he just went back to the campsite.

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><p>"Shikamaru, you're back. Find anything suspicious?" his father asked him as his son entered his tent.<p>

Shikamaru stood there, replaying the scene in his head before he told his father.

"I saw Ino…but she wasn't herself."

Shikaku was thrown back, "What do you mean?"

"She didn't know who I was…she looked serious."

"Do you remember how you got there?" he he did, they could go back and hopefully get her.

"I… don't know. All I was doing was checking if the area was safe then I just…found her." He looked down at the ground feeling like he should of stopped her from running away.

His father let out a sigh, "Don't worry," he placed a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "Just get some rest; we'll get her back, one way or another."

Shikamaru couldn't do nothing but do as his father said to do. He had to believe him.

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><p>Ino really couldn't go to bed now…<p>

"…_who was he? How does he know me?"_ question after question flooded her mind. She couldn't help but feel a little scared. She just laid there trying to fall asleep but then after question would appear. She came back to reality when someone opened the door to her room.

"Ino…is everything alright?" Akihiro walked towards her bed and sat on the side.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't things be okay…" she avoided looking into his eyes. He wasn't slightly convinced.

"….You know I don't like secrets Ino." His glare pierced right through her. There was no way of getting out of this. He removed the blanket from her body and picked her up.

"Where are you taking me?!" she was both confused and scared. Akihito has his nice moments but, it wasn't pleasant when gets angry.

He didn't answer he just kept on walking down the hallway. When he took her outside, there was a carriage waiting for them. He put her down so she could stand.

"Are we going somewhere?" she looked up sat him and saw a smile.

"No….only you." Akihito knocked the princess unconscious. He caught her before she hit the ground. Gently, he placed her inside the carriage.

"Don't get caught." He told the driver before the horse took off with the carriage.

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><p>Hmmm...I thought I could of done a little better with this chapter...sorry~ It had very little action. I'll make the next one better! hahaha<p>

Please leave a review! Much appreciated~


	15. Saving you

Sorry for not updating in a long~ time! I been so busy with homework lately DX I'll try to update as soon as possible. I hope ypu enjoy this chapter though. The story is slowly coming to a close (T^T) maybe 1 or 2 more till the end. Enjoy~~!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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><p>Shikamaru tried to clear his mind as he tried to fall asleep in his tent. He was almost in a deep sleep until he heard some commotion outside his tent. He heard the sound of steel clashing and people yelling. Shikamaru thought it might have been a dream but it just got louder outside his tent and someone was calling his name. It was his father. Quickly, he ran out his tent to find that they have been ambushed by some Hot spring ninja. He found his father and helped he rid of the enemies.<p>

"Shikamaru! You know what to do! We'll take care of things here!" his father told his as he continued to fight. Shikamaru wanted to help his father but he knew he had to according to plan.

"Second stage!" Shikamaru shouted out and the fire ninja who was supposed to respond quickly scattered into different parts of the forest they were in. All who was left at the camp site was his father and his father's team.

Shikamaru finished off his enemies and headed towards the location him and his team was assigned to if anything was to happen. Shikamaru reached a small opening. It wasn't a good idea to be caught in the open especially under this situation. He hid within the shadows of the trees' until his team arrived. Everyone arrived safely and gathered to talk about their next plan.

"Okay, so obviously they know that we are here in their country. We have to execute the next step. There will be three teams: mine's, my father's and Lord Inoichi's team. We will infiltrate the back of the castle, my father's team will have the left side and Lord Inoichi's will have the right side. We will go into position now and when the signal is given, we'll attack."

Shikamaru then contacted his father through his ear pierce, "Father? Are you there?"

"_We're fine, we going on to the next step. Did you tell everyone?" _

"I told them everything. We're going into position now."

"_Good. Be careful out there. Remember the signal. When you see Deidara in the air…go. Got it?"_

"I understand." He then cut off the line. It was time to get back the princess back.

~~~~  
>Silently, Shikamaru and his team were a few yards away from the rear of the castle. Everyone was in position and ready for this war. Then, Shikamaru saw him. Deidara was on his clay bird, flying above the castle. Deidara drop a C3 bomb above the castle and at the same time, they all attacked. Everything was going as planned but Shikaku's team was attacked hard by the Hot Spring's army. His army was weakening. Inoichi was going to help his friend till he saw <em>her<em>.

"I-Ino?!" ash was blowing in the wind from the castle. There was chaos everywhere but he couldn't believe she was right in front of him.

"Ino! Honey! Are you fine?" he ran up to her to give her a hug, but once he did, she quickly rejected his kindness and pushed him away.

"Who do you think you are?! I don't know you so don't touch me." He soon realized this wasn't the Ino he knew.

"…What did they do to you? Tell me!"

She dint bother answering him and she took out the katana she was given. She stared at him with blue cold, icy eyes. Her eyes lacked the energy they once had. Now, they were filled with darkness.

"Let's make this quick." She quickly ran towards him and tried to land a hit on him. Inochi also took out his sword and counterattacked her slices. She was determined to kill him but couldn't get him. She used all the power she had and all the techniques she was taught. Then, she got him. Inoichi was stabbed in his left shoulder.

"Persistent old man." She sighed as she looked at the blood on her sword then at the man in front of her, on his knees, trying to bear the pain throbbing in his shoulder. "I'll just end it now."

She went in to finish him off but then a kunai flew right past her face. She stopped and Shikaku came to save Inoichi.

"Is it bad?" Shikaku asked about the wound but didn't take his eyes off Ino.

"Yeah, but….Ino…"

"This isn't the same Ino we know Inochi. She's been brainwashed."

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation but time's ticking. Let's get this over with!" she was about to make a move until Akihito appeared in front of her.

"Stop. I'll take care of these guys. I need you somewhere else." He grabbed Ino's shoulder and she disappeared. "Now, shall we continue?"

~~~  
>Shikamaru's team was going fine and was under control. They were inside the castle looking for the princess but little did they know she was looking for him. He searched every room looking for him. He was about to enter another room until he heard a familiar voice.<p>

"You again." Ino stood down the hall. Shikamaru's eyes slightly widened.

"Ino…"

"You're the one that I saw in the field. Looks like this will the last time you'll see me."

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><p>So...tell me how this chapter was. Was it not enough details? Please leave a review and tell me! Much appreciated!(^^)<p>

R&R! (mysticeXdrops)


	16. Loving You

Okay! So...this is it! The Finale~! Wow...felt just like yesterday I just started writing this story hahaha But thank you everyone for the reviews and the followers...readers, everyone! Arigatou~^^ Also, since I am done with this story, I will now be working on my newer story, I got you!, so please check it out too!  
>Enjoy!<p>

**Disclaminer: I do Not own Naruto**

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><p>Chapter 16:<br>Loving You

"Ino…"

"You're the one that I saw in the field. Looks like this will the last time you'll see me." The blonde dashed towards the surprised boy. Slicing everywhere with her katana, she tried to kill him. Dodging all her attacks, not a scratch was seen on him.

Ino made some distance in between her and her target. She stopped attacking and now the two of them were just staring at each other from down the hall.

"I think we need some more room. This hallway is just not cutting it." she smirked as the large window behind him shattered. Shocked, he looked over his shoulder to see what happened to the window. In that instant, she appeared in front of him when he looked forward. The blonde killer punched him straight in the face and sent him flying out the broken window. Hovering over him as he fell, she slammed his body against the ground with her hand around his neck.

"You know, it would be just easier to just give up now. You just probably think that this is all 'troublesome'." His friend, and enemy, whispered in his ear. Then it hit him. She just said that this would all be troublesome. How could she remember that personality trait about him if she didn't remember anything about him? Loosening the grip she had around his neck, he reversed their positions. Now he was on top of her, staring down at her.

"You just said that I think this is all 'troublesome'. You're memory…just reach down a little deeper in your mind Ino! You know me! We have for years!" This was just getting all frustrating for him now. How could he get his friend to remember him?

"What are you talking about?! Just shut up about all this crap! You don't know anything about me!" she once again grabbed his throat and pushed him at least twenty feet away from her.

"I'm tired of all this…" a sigh escaped from her mouth. She ran one of her tiny hands through her long bangs, "This has to end sometime. Your country doesn't stand a chance against us. It will be a matter of time till you and your army will be eliminated." Shikamaru slowly lifted himself up. Scrapes and bruises were now covering part of his body. He rubbed his sore heard, trying to soothe the pain. As he looked up, he saw her walking towards him.

"Shadow Bind Jutsu!" Ino could now longer move any body parts. She was caught by his shadows on the ground. The shadows stretched from her feet, to Shikamaru's.

"Shikamaru!" Shikamaru looked past Ino to see who called his name. It was Ryo. "I'll help you!"

The chestnut haired ninja weaved a few hand signs before performing his jutsu. "Earth style: Racing diamonds!" Suddenly, the earth beneath them started to rumble and shake. Chunks of the ground shot up and solidify into sharp shapes and some round in various sizes. The now stones flew towards Ino. With Shikamaru's jutsu still in effect, she couldn't dodge the oncoming attacking. In Shikamaru's eyes, the whole scene played out in slow motion. One moment, he was watching the various stones race towards her, the next; he was shielding her with his own body. He tried to reduce some of the damage she would take with his body. When it was over, he collapsed. Blood stained his skin, as well as other serious wounds. Ino, too, was on the ground, unconscious from some of the damage she took. Ryo sprinted to his unconscious friend.

"Shikamaru!" he knelled down before his friend, shaking him by the shoulders. It was a useless attempt to wake up his friend. Ryo then decided to use his earpiece and mini microphone to contact a medic.

"Hello?! Is anyone there? I need a medic down behind the castle! I need one now!" he was answered by silence. Then a voice was heard on the other side.

"A medic will be there soon sir, please be patient…" the connection was then terminated. Then, Shikaku's voice was on the other side of the line.

"Ryo, Inochi needs your assistance immediately."

"My Lord, Shikamaru is in need of a medic. I have to wait till one comes."

"Now's not the time, one will be there soon. Trust them. Lord Inochi needs you now." The line then went dead. Ryo then rubbed his forehead. He didn't know what to do: either abandon his friend, or go help his Lord's friend. He knew he would get it if he didn't go right away. Trusting that someone would come, he glanced at his friend one last time, hoping that an enemy wouldn't touch Shikamaru. It wasn't till he was with Shikaku that he remembered that Ino was unconscious with Shikamaru.

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><p>Ino's eyes fluttered open. The whole world before her was in one big blur. Still in pain, she carefully sat up and touched her wounded head. She observed her surroundings to see where she was at. Ino was confused at the whole scenario her eyes were seeing. Ninjas dead on the ground, a burning castle and ninjas in combat everywhere. Question after question swarmed her mind. The last memory she had was she was in her bed sleeping in her bedroom, and now she's on the ground, bleeding and sore? As she got up from the hard ground, she noticed a body next to her, a familiar face.<p>

"Shikamaru!" she knelled besides his sleeping body. She examined his body for any signs of life. He pulse was low, but his heart was still beating! That was good enough for her. She noticed all the wounds covering his body.

"What…happened?" she looked at his wounds as tears filled her eyelids. She didn't bother holding them in and just let the tears run freely down her cheeks. Seeing that now wasn't the time to be crying, she carefully lifted her friend from the ground. It was harder than it seemed, considering that she had no support from anyone and wasn't the strongest princess in the world. She wrapped his arms around her neck and dragged him on her back. She really didn't have a clue where to go. She had no clue on what was happening. But, she did know she had to get out of there before someone tried to hurt them. She vanished into the forest, hoping that someone would lend her some help. Hours passed by and now she was following a dirt road, taking breaks in between. Shikamaru was heavier than he seemed. The trees decreased as she went further along the road. Soon, a small inn was visible. She was never this happy to see one. Before, she would never stay in one of those family run inns. She would always have the best in everything. She propped her still unconscious friend, outside by the front door.

"Welcome! How may I help you today, young lady?" an older lady greeted her at the small front desk.

"Yes, how much will it be for a room for two?"

"Well, that will be twenty pennings." Ino then searched in all her pockets for some money, but then realized she had nothing!

"Umm, excuse me but….it seems that I don't have the money…right now. Could I do some work around here to pay it off. You see, I have a friend outside and he needs some medical attention. I don't know any doctors in this area." she looked down at the floor, feeling the tear swell up again, but this time fought against them.

"Well, let's take a look at him." Ino showed the older lady to her friend and his condition. "Oh my! Let's get him in here! I'll get my husband to take him in a room. Don't worry about the money now."

"Oh, thank you very much!" She bowed ninety degrees out of appreciation. "I'm in your debt." Ino sat next to the co-owner of the inn and her husband. Her husband placed Shikamaru in a futon, which he was now in. Ino then watched the elder woman put away all the medicine she used in a medium size bag. She then took out a small white rag from the pot filled with warm water beside her and placed the rag on Shikamaru's forehead.

"He shall be fine for now. Just make sure to soak the rag when it gets dry or cold. He might wake up in a few hours or days. It's hard to tell from his condition. We'll just have to wait for now."

"That's fine. Thank you for all the help. I don't know where I would be without your help."

"Oh, it's all we can do. Make sure you get some rest too." Both wife and husband left the room, leaving Shikamaru in her hands.

"Now I'm stuck with you..." she told Shikamaru but knew she wouldn't get a response. He was conscious after all. Every now and then, she would dampen the rag to make it warm again. Other than "taking care" of Shikamaru, she really didn't have anything else to do; she decided to help the nice couple of the inn with some chores to repay them. She continued this routine for the next day, taking care of Shikamaru and doing some chores. It wasn't till that day that he would regain consciousness.

Slowly, his eyes opened and closed again from the bright sunlight. For the second time, he opened his eyelid to see where his was at. From what he saw, he must have been in an inn or someone place with that. He heard someone's footsteps in the hallway. The noise of footsteps got louder till the sound stopped in front of his door. As the door opened, there was Ino in front in the doorway. He sat himself up to get a better view.

"Ino?" she heard someone call out her name softly as she closed the door behind her. She was afraid if who called her name was a friend…or foe. Slowly, she turned her body around but was relieved when she found Shikamaru wake.

"You're awake!" she ran towards him, carefully hugging making sure not to further injury him. "How are you? Are you fine? How many fingers am I holding up?" the worried blonde shoved three fingers in front of his face.

Ino, you're holding up three fingers. I'm fine. The better question is how are you?" he asked as she sat beside him. He didn't know if she was temporarily back to normal or still trying to kill him. He grabbed her face, trying to find injuries or anything out of the ordinary. To him though, her face looked perfect. Not a single scratch could be found on her porcelain skin. Ino couldn't help but faintly blush from him touching her face.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be but, do you know what was happening back there? I really don't remember anything..."

"Wait, you don't remember….anything?" First, she didn't remember her family, then she didn't them for a second time and now she doesn't remember that war? What else could she forget?

"Nope. All I remember was me and Sakura going to the market in town. Then, that night someone kidnaped me and there was _that_ guy…after that, I don't remember anything." She looked down at her hands as she played with them. All Shikamaru could do was sigh.

"Well, where should I start?" Shikamaru then prepared himself for a fairly long story, from the day she went missing, to now. "…and that's pretty much what happened till now." He looked up at her face to see a saddened expression.

"So, this whole war is because of my fault?" she couldn't help but feel guilty that she had some cause in this war.

"Idiot," he placed a warm hand on top of her head, "It's that guy's fault, not yours. He just took advantage of you." He ran his fingers since her hair wasn't in a ponytail. He admired her hair, as it was as soft as silk. Her hair was smooth against his rough callous hands.

"So….what about you and Temari?" her question brought him back to reality and brought back his hand to his side.

"I don't really know. I don't think it will really work out between me and her. What I thought I wanted in life has changed."

"Really? What do you want now?" she asked in a low tome as she moved her hand to Shikamaru's. She watched as Shikamaru played with her fingers.

Slowly, he started to close the distance between them, "…you." His lips crashed on her soft ones. The kiss was very much like Shikamaru, sweet and slow. Just as quickly it started, they both separated, leaving Ino breathless and with a pink face.

Ino put her forehead on Shikamaru's, "I guess we got a change in plans about the wedding." She giggled as she looked lovingly in his eyes. After staying in the inn for another day, Ino and Shikamaru decided that it was time to go home now. Well, first they had to figure out in what village they were in and go from there.

"Thank you two so very much." Ino, once again, bowed deeply to the inn owners and make their way back to the Crystal country. "Do you think the war is over yet?" She asked as both walked down a dirt path, hand in hand.

"I guess we'll see when we get you home." Since the two of them were in a border country, it took a couple of days to get back to the Crystal country. They tried not to keep their parents waiting too long. Boy, didn't Shikamaru have a lot to say to his parents. What would he say to Temari though? This could jeopardize the relationship between the two countries. But, what had to be had to be done. Shikamaru and Ino finally made it to the castle gate in the Crystal country. After explaining their situation, the guards let them through the gates.

"Great, I'm getting a little nervous." She didn't know if she wanted to go in the castle now.

"Why are you nervous? I'm sure your parents will be beyond happy to see you back to normal and home." She gave her hand a reassuring squeeze to help her feel less nervous.

Shikamaru took the lead and opened the large, tall doors to the castle. He opened it slowly but then found no one. He then opened the door all the way and led Ino inside.

"They're probably somewhere upstairs. Oh! I'll get Sakura." She walked in the kitchen and found her preparing food.

"Sakura!" Ino surprised her, hugging her from behind.

"Ino?" the pink haired maid looked over shoulder to see Ino's face.

"Long time no see, right?" Ino's cheeks turned a shade of light pink from embarrassment. It was then Sakura's turn to hug Ino.

"You worried us so much, my lady." Softly, Sakura started to weep in Ino's arms. Ino didn't blame, all the things she put her friend in, she would cry too.

"I'm sorry." Ino rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. Sakura got some tissue and tried to fix her appearance.

"Oh! I shall tell your parents about your arrival! Is it just you?"

"Shikamaru is with me too."

"Okay, I shall tell them about Shikamaru too. Please wait right here." Sakura then disappeared and Ino patiently waited.

She knew her parents her coming when she heard a pair of heels click against the floor. "Ino." Her mother ran up to her and hugged her daughter. Never again did she want to go through this. Soon, tears started to fall down her cheeks and she kissed her daughter's cheek. Next was her father and he was the same way. Ino's never been this happy to see her parents and brother. She could finally relax knowing she was home. Ino fetched Shikamaru to explain everything since he remembered.

"I see. We can't thank you enough Shikamaru." Miyuki also gave Shikamaru a warm hug. "We can also count on you to get Ino back home."

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><p>Shikamaru stayed at Ino's castle until his parents arrived. Both families were both going to celebrate with a big feast. Both country leaders would also explain their current situation.<p>

"We are glad to have you, Lord Shikaku, Queen Yoshino." Sakura greeted them at the door. The couple entered the castle and immediately, Yoshino went up to son and hit him on the head.

"You know, you had us worried to death! You could have written us a note or something to tell us where you were! We could have come a got you and Ino but, no. You need to start using your head a little more Shikamaru." She then hugged her son. Shikamaru knew his mother would act like this. His mother let go of him and his father walked up to him.

"Good job, son." He gave Shikamaru a small smile and patted his shoulder before going to Ino's parents. Ino then appeared by his side.

"We should tell them tonight, right?" she looked up at him as she watched her parents talk to Shikamaru's.

"I think we should. I don't think they say anything negative about our plans."

"Right." A gentle smile emerged on her face. "Let's get the food out." Everyone was having a great time, talking about the past and future. Ino's family sat on one side of the table while Shikamaru's sat on the other side.

"So…" everyone looked at Shikamaru, seeing what he had to say. "Ino and I want to tell everyone something."

"We decided that we would like to get married instead, it that's fine." Ino's heartbeat rose as no one said a word. Both Ino and Shikamaru's father talked in a whisper tone. Both prince and princess waited anxiously.

"Are you sure you want this, Ino?" Ino nodded her head, knowing she wanted this.

"It's sad to think that we're losing out baby right when we got her back." Seemed like déjà vu to everyone, "But you are around the age to start a life on your own now and we know that Shikamaru would take care of you." Miyuki told everyone at the table. Shikamaru could feel the blood rush to his face. He had to smile though knowing that her parents approved along with his parents.

"Thank you all. I promise I will do my best to keep her safe." There was nothing he would do for her. He looked at his future to-be wife and smiled.

"But there is something else…" Shikaku had something else to say, "Since the Hot springs country was defeated during the war, as a congratulations gift, both, Shikaku and I, are giving you the land. I know you two would make great leaders so we have no worries."

Ino heartbeat was even faster. Her jaw hung a little open. It was a lot to take in. "Are you sure it fine?"

"Of course, honey. What are we going to do with it anyways? I'm sure you and Shikamaru will make better use out of it." Inoichi told his daughter. All Ino's parents wanted was for her to be happy and lead a wonderful life.

Ino could hold back the tears any longer, "Thank you all….really." she flashed a wide smile to everyone. Years later, Shikamaru and Ino were husband and wife. They were also crowned king and queen of their new land. The couple came up with a name for their new land. The Diamond country, they decided on the name since it's a part of the Crystal country. The couple was welcomed open-heartedly by the villagers. Everything with the country was going fine. Nothing could be better. Both Shikamaru and Ino want to start a family together in the future. Then one day, their child could run the country. Finally, Ino had a place to call her own, and wouldn't want it any other way. Even though she had a chaotic childhood, she was happy on how everything turned out.

* * *

><p>Umm, so the ending...I was a little stuck with^^; Sorry, its the best ending is the world. Hope I didn't ruin the story hahaha Sorry if this is too long. I thought about putting it into two chapters but then the 2 chapters might be too small so...yeah. But once again thank you everyone!<p>

~mysticXdrops


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